Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-02-21
HOW CONSERVE
TIMBER SUPPLY
----------------------
One of Most Serious Problems
Now Confronting Ameri-
can People.
RESERVES MOSTLY IN WEST
Congressman Draper Has Plan TO
Take Timber Census ,laslia
Demanding Attention.
special Correspondence.

conserve our remaining forests ?"
President Cleveland during his term
of office. inaugurated the policy of
withdrawing from entry tracts II
timber lands in the public domain
That policy has been followed and
extended until today there are many
millions OF acres which are protected
from spoliation and which are scien-
tifically administered by the chief
forester, Mr.. Clifford Plnchot.
But all these reserves, or national
forests, as they are now called are
In the public land states of the west.
The enormous timber areas of Maine.
New York. Michigan, WISCONSIN and
Minnesota have either been already
denuded or are held by private indi-
viduals who are stripping them as
rapidly as possible. About the only
notable exception is the Adirondack
reserve, which has been established in
the state of New York. Efforts are
making before Congress at the pres
ent time to acquire title to the vast
wood-covered regions along the APP
palachian mountains extending from
New Hampshire southwesterly down
through the southern states, and the
prospects are fairly bright that the
efforts will prove successful before the
standing timber still remaining.
TIMBBR CENSUS.
Although the lumber interest is one
of the greatest in this country 1t
has never yet been found possible to
obtain any statistical information
whatever as to the timber areas still
existing in the United States. From
time to time paragraphs have been
published designed to show the cut
of lumber in particular regions and
occasionally a statement appears in
print to the effect that "at the pres
ent rate of progress in the lumber in
dustry the timber supply will be ex-
hausted in 90, 80 or so years. Now
comes Congressman Draper of New
York with a bill to provide for the
census of the standing timber of the
country and to this end an appropri-
alton Of $250,000 is provided. The
Draper measure meets with the corr
dial approval of Chief Forester Pin
chot as well as that of Director North
of the census.
Should the bill so through It viii
be the purpose of the director of the
census to take this particular census
year ahead of the regular deem
ial enumeration OF the population of
the country in order that the two may
not conflict. With the aid of tho
sus will endeavor under the Draper
act to obtain all possible data con-
corning the forestry areas of the
United States, together with the
amount of standing timber of all
grades in each township or other civil
division. IL will also be the purpose
of the census officials as nearly as
possible TO show the annual cut Of all
grade of timber whether for manu-
featuring or fuel purposes. 1t is be-
lieved that these statistics, when
gathered. will open the ewes of the
public to the fact that many woods
formerly regarded as of little or no
commercial value, are today being
used for all sorts of commercial pur-
poses.
SHOULD PLANT TREES.
There has been from time to time a
great deal of talk of re-foresting the
denuded areas of the east, but so far
as is officially known at the present
moment Pennsylvania is the only state
which has gone to work scientifically
In this direction. Ii is probable that |
the outcome of the census taken as
the result of the Draper bill. II 1t Is
passed. will be that Chief Forester
Pinchot viii be able TO point out in
an Intelligent manner Just how far
the people of the denuded forest
areas can go towards the restoration
OF their timber land and that he Will
also be able to point out which species
Of timber can be planted to the best
advantage In the hope of achieving re-
suits OF value within n generation. AL
ready the department of agriculture
has taken long strides towards the
cultivation of woods heretofore COM
unknown in the United
States. This Is particularly true OF
the nut-bearing trees and of camphor.
But Mr., Pinchot is of the opinion
that when the eyes Of the public are
opened to the situation which Is con-
fronting us, II viii be a comparatively
easy matter to educate the owners of |
stretches of waste land up TO the point |
Of planting trees which Will be COM
valuable within the lifetime
of the owner. especially If intell gently
and if the bill of Congress |
man Draper aids in this result he will |
have done more for the citizens OF
this republic than Rockefeller with |
his colleges and Carnegie with HE |
Libraries, combined
ALASKA WANTS ATTENTION.
Vigorous efforts are to be made dur
Ing the present Congress TO give |
Alaska full territorial form of gov |
ernment. That far-off territov has
developed wonderfully within the |
last decade but It took 40 years OF |
hard work To secure even delegate |
m Congress TO represent It's interests. |
For the first time since the territory |
vas purchased from Russia I'm the late |
sixties, Alaska has a seat on the floor |
Of the house and is represented by |
a sturdy son of Vermont In the per-
son of Thomas Gale. But Alaska Is
still governed by the Congress OF
The United States and has absolutely |
no voice whatever In the conduct OF |
Us own affairs, for Gale, while al |
lowed 70 speak Is not permitted TO
vote oven on matters directly per-
tanning TO the territory which he rep-
resents. There is no such thing aR
"A legislature and all laws are the
laws enacted by men 1000 miles
away, who have in 90 cases out Gf
100 no knowledge whatever of eX-
stlng conditions, Alaska wants a
legislature. It's white population Is
as thoroughly American as that of
any state or territory In the Union
and very naturally It's people beiiryo
that they should be put on n footing
equal To that Of Arizona or New Next
co. and to this end the delegate is
all his efforts.
There h one man In the Congress
OF the United States," said Mr.. Gale
today who probably knows more ~
Alaska than ] do. He is the Hon.
William Sulzer CT New York. IL Is
not generally known, but II IL never
theless a fact, that Mr.. sulycr b