The daily sentinel., 1907-12-18


i. chot, the United States forester, i.
!. what he thinks about the Christ !
!. mas tree question. !.
+%f .f+ !.
With the approach of the Christ
mas season, the letters coming Into
the forest service begin to multiply
and the mail clerk works overtime
and wishes for the passing of the sea-
son as earnestly as the tired-out ex-
pressman or the nerve-wreckeI shop
girl.
| The running capacity of the ele-
vators in the red brick building on
the service is also severely taxed, for
many make a personal visit to plead
for the governments intervention in
the needless destruction of the ma
Christmas trees" The reply of the
man who. for ten years. has been
in the thick of the fight for the con-
servation of the country's forest re-
oouIteS is olteH Il great Sui Pi iSS "
those who would do away with the
custom of taking an evergreen from
the hillside to contribute to the fes-
tivities of a single day.
IT have thought good deal about
this Christmas tree matter" the for
ester said to caller yesterday, "ahi
have finally reached this conclusion:
Trees are for use. There is no other
use to which these trees could be
put which would contribute so much
to the happiness and good of man
kind as their use for the children and
family on Christmas day.
$50 far as endangering the future
life of our forests is concerned, the
effect is infinitesimal, compared with
the destruction caused by forest fires
and wasteful numbering. 1t is esti-
mated that 100000 Christmas
trees are used in this country each
year-one in every fourth family. If
planted feet apart these could be
grown on less than 1,400 acres-a
good sized farm. You see, the
amount is utterly Insignificant when
compared to the other great drains
on the forests.
Trees suitable for Christmas
trees do not grow in the old for
ests, where reproduction is most i'm
portant, but in the open. Even If
serious denudation were threatened,
the proper remedy would be not to
stop using the trees. but to adopt
wiser methods. There is no more
reason for an outcry against using
land to grow Christmas trees than to
grow flowers"
While upholding the custom, the
governments foresters recognize that
indiscriminate cropping of ever
greens for Christmas trees has i'll
many sections produced bad effect
upon the timber supply of number
of merchantable species. Americans
have been so wasteful in cutting the
Christmas trees as they have in their
search for other forest products, and
foresters say that harm may always
be expected when the woodlands are
not under a proper forestry manage
ment.
That the use of Christmas trees
is perfectly compatible with the well
fare of the forest is fully proven in
Germany. where, with a highly de-
veloped forest policy. the percapita
consumption of Christmas trees is
greatest. The cutting of small trees
for Christmas trees is not there con-
sidered in the least as a menace to
the forests; but, on the contrary, as
a means of improving the forest.
There is scarcely a hut in Germany
that has not Christmas tree.
Practically all conifers can be and
are used as Christmas trees in this
country; but the most popular ones
are the frs, spruces, pines and ce-
dars. The pines are in great demand
for Christmas trees when fir and
spruce are not available. or are only
to be mad at a high price. Through
out Maryland and Virginia, and in
Washington, the Virginia pine, and.
to n lesser extent. the cedar supply
the demand. The fir is abundant in
Colorado, but it grows in high, in
accessible places, and therefore the
Douglas spruce and the lodgepols
pine are more often used. The lodge
pole pine is also popular in Wyo-
ming and other Rocky Mountain
states. In California 1t is not un-
common to find the incense cedar and
young coast redwoods used as Christ
mas trees.
The wholesale use of spruce for