Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1908-02-27
FORESTS AND FLOOD rREvENTIvEs

FORESTS AND FLOOD PREvENTINEs
People living in the vicinity Of
mountain ranges arc repeatedly re-
coiving fresh demonstrations of the
need of forests as n preventive Of dis
astrous floods. Montpelier and other
towns on the Winooski have learned
to look for annual foundations at
least and often the experience is re-
peatod several times during the
twelve months. Tho same thing is true
Some of the people of Northern New
York have recently experienced devas-
tating foods resulting from the rush
of water from the Adirondacis during
the thaw, and as result the Ogdcns-
burg Journal and other papers in
that section are calling for measures
to lessen the danger from this source.
It says that the OswcGatchie, swollen
by the recent thaw and rain. raced in
a torrent toward the st. Lawrence, on
~ to be checked in its course by tho
immense volume of ice in the upper
harbor Thus checked. it naturally
backed up, overlooking the sca-wall
on the eastern bank and doing great
damage to mill property along the
opposite side. The car ferry steamer
Armstrong was brought into service
at cost OF 500 per hour. and ycster-
day morning the congestion was re-
lieved and the water rccedej.
Pittsburg had a similar experience
some days ago, and an enormous a
in neighboring towns. The destruction
wrought calls attention to the chief
cause of the sudden and excessive over
flow of the streams every spring, In this
connection the recent report of tho
| secretary of agriculture on the advisa-
hility Of the purchase of the Appala
, chian watersheds for national forests
by the government becomes of spccia
interest and value Tho fact is made
clear by the report that there is but
one natural factor which tends Ia
| equalize the flow of mountain streams
and that one factor is the forest. lr
the woods, when downpours of rair
come, they are received by a thick lay
or of humus. This humus is capahl.
OF holding many times its own weigh
of water, and finally, when it become.
completely saturated. the water trick
les through into soil filled with root.
and tiny rootlcts Slowly, as much A.
is not absorbed makes its way through
the soil, and little by little nnaIl,
reaches some small surface stream an,
is thence carried to the larger nowin;
| bodies.
When the forests have been Gu
down, on the other hand. the groun,
is without the shcltcrins protection o
the trees, and under the broiling ray
or the summer sun, quickly loses it
porous character. When hard raj,
storm comes, tho water PUSHES Owe
! the surface To the nearest streams an,
a hood is the natural and incvitabl
result, Similarly are the torrents un
checked at the breakup of winter.
The Journal holds that as far =
Northern New York Is concerned tn
only one way TO kct~, the food condi
tons from growing worse is. as gug
gested in the case of tho Appalachia,
watersheds, to extend the forest prc
serve, The States domains in TN
Adirondacks should be immcdiatoI
enlarged, not as n measure to protcc
the game, not to save the bcautifu
trees, but from the standpoint of econ
omic necessity. 1t believes conditio,
can be vastly improved by a system n
storage reservoirs in tho Adirondack,
The report OF the geological survo
on the subject of storage in the Appala
chians. The report shows that the flow q
1850 square miles, or 81 per cent. of tn
drainage area of the Monogahcla. ca
be stored for fun year ana that II
such storage tho low water stage /
tho river can be increased by six fee
throughout the longest dry seaso
period ever known in the history O
the stream. The low stage can be in
creased three feet in the Ohio a
wheeling for period considcrabl
longer than four months. This mean
distinct improvement for both navi
cation and food conditions With 8
per cent. Of the Monongahela waite
subject TO storage, the mood drainag
at Pittsburg and Wheeling would be a
most eliminated.
This is subject in which Vernon
has an abiding as we'll as CONSTANT
recurring acute interest, ana the problel
should receive early attention by con
petent authority.