The Washington times., 1907-10-27
FORESTERS RESENT
WALSH'S CRITICISMS
OVerton w. Price Tells of
Work Done in the
West.
Saws Government Is Grow
Trees as Rapidly as
Possible.

The criticism recently made by
Thomas J. Walsh, the millionaire cat
tIeman, who is in Washington on n
visit, against the great expenditure of
time and money on the part Of the
Government in supervising "treeless
forests in the State Of California. Is
resented by the officials OF the Forest
Service
AR. walsh said the people OF the
Northwest objected TO he use OF the
public lands for the building up Of po-
Iitical machines. He said that In Call
fornia more than 200 men are employed
to protect what are called forest ldhos'
but which are, in most cases. merely
meadows or prairies-
In an interview with a reporter Ior
The Times, OvertOn w Price, associate
forester. who is in charge Of the Forest
Service in the absence Of Chief Forester
Pfnchot. explained the condition OF lhe
so~est service in the Northwest. He
said: ,...,-
.srro rroduce timber and 10 maintain
stream fow are the two main functions
OF national forests. Mountain laho'
vaIueIess for agriculture, but whose pro
| lection Is necessary to conserve the
| water suuplv. should be in national
| forest. whether IT is at present tim
bered or not. Mountain lands are
sometines entirely treeless as the re-
syIt Of repeated fire. destructive log
ging. or both
Plant Trees.
"Where lands Of this character are
Included in a national forest they viii
be planted to trees as rapidly as FUNDS
are available. other mountain lands
notably those OF southern California
although practically tresless, are COW
cred with dense brush, which regulates
the run-or in exactly the same way as
does the forest cover
The water supply Of many towns n
southern California depends absolutely
upon the preservation of the brush
cover upon the mountains which pro-
/ duce IL. These watersheds are now ef-
fectively protected at the Government
expense. for the benefit OF the people.
whether the area OF treeless lands
in national forests is large or small
is not the question. AS a matter OF
fact, IL is not large. II Is as reasonable
to say that land should not be in 9
national forest because II is not tim
bered at present, as that the farmer
should abandon MS wheat land because
he has to SOW il IN order to get a crop
Must Grow Trees.
Where trees and nothing else vii
grow, We must grow trees, whether VI
have to plant them or whether natur'
has already done so. Ard whethe
mountain lands which store water 70
irrigation, navigation, and doInesti
purposes are tree-cCYered OF brusE-cOV
cred. they have got to be protected from
fire and other misuse, or the water vii
inevitably fail
Il am glad to say that in no part o
the country is the policy of the Fores
Service more thoroughly understood ant
upheld than in southern California
where the majority Of our so-calle'
treeless forests are situated The maj
who supports his family upon an irri
gated farm is not particularly intereste,
- III whether the water upon which nj
3 livelihood depends comes from noun
tains covered with trees. or from noun
: tains covered with brush. He IS inter
eSted only in the maintenance OF
steady supply. And as VIC see il, tn
2 preservation Of the sources of that sup
- ply is task we'll worth while, and on
which falls properly within the PROVING
. OF the Federal Government"