The Lake County times. [volume] (Hammond, Ind.) 1906-1933, 1907-12-17
LET The CHILDREN HAVE
THEIR CHRISTMAS TREES
Information Direct From Forestry Department at
Washington Shows Use of Evergreens at
Yule Tide is No Menace to Forests.

Washington, Dec. 1T.-This is the
time of the year when hundreds OF .
people feel II their duty TO
ask CLIFFORD Pinchot. the United States .
forester. what he thinks about the I
Christmas tree question.
With the approach OF the Christmas +
season. the letters coming into the For /
est Service begin to multiply and the /
mail clerk works over time and wishes /
for the passing OF the season as earn +
estly as the tired-out expressman or
the nervous wrecked shOpgirl. The
running capacity Of the elevators in
the red brick building on + street
which Uncle sam rents for the Service
is also severely taxed. for many make
personal visits 20 plead for the gov
ernments Intervention in the need
less destruction of the nations forests
by the cutting Of Christmas trees.
The reply OF the man. who for ten
years, has been in the thick OF the
fight for the conservation of the coun-
try's forest resources, is often a great
surprise 70 those who would do away
with the custom Of taking an ever
green from the hillside to contribute
to the festivities of a single day.
Adds to Gayety of Nations.
this Christmas tree matter the Forester
said to caller yesterday. and 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 hap
piness and good of mankind as their
use for the children and family on
Christmas day.
so Tar as endangering the future
life of our forests is concluded. the
effect is infnitesimal, compared with
the destruction caused by forest fires
and wasteful numbering. 1t Is esti-
mated that 1000. 0O0 Christmas trees
are used in this country each year,
one in every fourth family. If planted
four feet apart these could be grown
on less than 400 acres, a good sized
farm. You see, the amount is utterly
Insignificant when compared to the
other great drains on the forest
Trees suitable for Christmas trees
do not grow I'm the old forests, where
reproduction is most important but in
the open Even If serious denudation
We're 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"
WastefuIness Main Evil.
While UNFOLDING the custom, the
| government foresters recognize that
indiscriminate cropping of evergreens
for Christmas trees has in many sec
tons produced a bad effect upon the
timber supply of the number of mer-
charitable species. Americans have
been wasteful in cutting Christmas
trees as they have been in their search
for other forest productions and for
esters say that harm may always be
expected when the woodlands are not
under a proper forestry management
That the use Of Christmas trees is
perfectly compatible with the welfare
of the forest policy. the per capita
consumption of Christmas trees is
| greatest The cutting of small trees
for Christmas trees is not there consid-
cred in the least as a menace to the
forest, but, on the contrary. as
means of improving the forest. Their,
is scarcely hut in Germany that has
not a Christmas tree.
Practically all conifers can be ane
are used as Christmas trees in thi.
country, but the most popular ones arr
the frs, spruce, pines and the cedars
The pines are in great demand 70
Christmas trees when fir and spruc,
are not available or are only to b.
had at a high price. Throughout
Maryland and Virginia and in Wash
ington, the Virginia pine and, to less
er extent. the cedar supply the demand
The FIR is abundant in Colorado, but i
grows in high, inaccessible places. an,
therefore the Douglas spruce and tn
lodgepole pine are more otter used Tn
lodgepole pine is also popular in Wyom
ing and other Rocky Mountain states
In California, it is not uncommon t
find the incense and young coast red
find the incense cedar and young coas
redwoods used as Christmas trees.
Wholesale Use of Spruce Bad.
The Wholesale use OF spruce 70
! Christmas trees in some sections !
: more or less questionable in view 0
the fact that this is the best and mos
widely used wood for the manufacture
Of pulp for white paper The heav,
inroads on the country's spruce for
ests Is Of vital interest to the publish
t ers Of the country and in order 10 con
serve the valuable res ources Of thes'
) forests President Roosevelt has recon
E mended the tratT be taken of q
S wood pulp coming into the United
States, providing that Canada agrees
I that there should be no export duti
, on pulp wood The cutting Of grea
numbers OF young spruce for CHRIST
mas tree use in the course Of year
have at least q slight effect on the u
: ture supply Of pulp wood and farm
ers and other land owners can DO muel
. TO preserve the remaining STANDS
! spruce for better use IL they VIII US
! the less valuable species % trees
+ this season. leaving the spruce 20 ma
= ture and become available Tor IN
: manufacture Of pulp Foresters con
slider it most fortunate that nr Is
more popular species for Christina
than spruce because the wood of IN
fir is not so valuable.
, Eastern Cities Principal Market.
: The center OF the Christmas tree fn