The daily sentinel., 1908-03-11

10 SNOW tne WOrlu tnat she rec
+ ognizes the value of her nat =
Z ural resources by taking up the Z
+ question of forest preservation. Z
+ The Republic of Columbia has Z
= already outlined forest policy =
+ and now the people of the Ar 4
+ gentine Republic have taken up =
= the discussion of forestry and =
= its application to the manage Z
+ ment of the country's rich hard =
= wood timber areas. =
= = = = + - =
Up to the present time the subject
of forestry has received but little
consideration in the various South
American states. Most of these coun-
tries have large areas of forested
land, but owing to the fact that they
are so remotely situated and that
they are composed mainly of broad
leaf species which are too hard for
ordinary building and construction
lumber and hence not in very great
demand, they have not as yet been
extensively numbered. AS an illus
tration of this might be cited the
fact that the small country of France
furnishes more saw material than
does the whole of South America.
Wasteful exploitation of the for
ests of the Argentine Republic is in
creasing, however. and their wanton
destruction is beginning to attract
attention there. So far the destruc-
ton of valuable fruit trees has re-
ceived more attention than that of
forest trees. The following is a quo
tation from an article which recently
appeared in la Nacion," and was
translated by the "Buenos Aires
Herald"
at is not only in the Province of
Buenos Aires that the ancient tree
plantations are being destroyed; the
evil has spread to the remotest in
habited corners of the Republic. In
recent journey to and through the
Provinces of the interior. 1 have
found on every hand the effects of
the savagely reckless telling of tim
Der and the censurable carelessness
of the authorities who allow it. The
destruction is general. the finest
specimens of our Indigenous trees
have been ruthlessly sacrificed; not
only those of spontaneous growth but
also those planted by our ancestors
on behalf of their posterity.
ITO make a beginning of my dis
comforting recital, l will first men
tion that in La Rioja this senseless
war against nature has laid low
large plantations of magnificent and
highly productive orange trees, the
fruit of which is vastly superior to
the importation from Paraguay here
consumed Had these trees been
properly cultivated the Province
would now possess source of wealth
which would have spared it the
shame of going a-begging from tne
National Budget.
''In Mendoza the olive trees, cul-
tivated as far back as two hundred
years ago by the Jesuits, have COM
| pletely disappeared. There, however.
be it said with satisfaction. there are
men of the stamp of Civit. Seru. and
others like them, who are busted
with plantations that promise to
feeling has been stupidity prodigal,
with the result that not even half
of the plantations remain which
thirty years ago tempered its torrid
climate and beautified its valleys.
"In Santiago del Estero, Cata-
marca, and July. there are signs of
the same barbaric destruction which,
unless it is arrested, will soon leave
those provinces as bare as a maize
field that has been ravaged by the
locusts.
"As for Tucuman, the Tucuman of
poetic legends mentioned by Avell-
aneda, it is today almost unrecogniz-
able. 1t would no longer be true to
repeat his words where he says: The
orange and lemon tree which pro-
duce in rich abundance flowers and
fruit, sperfuming the ambient air,
feeding the Inhabitants and afford
ing them house and home, are
most beloved by them as the emblem
of the felicitious union of the useful
and the beautiful No; even the
famous and magnificent orange trees
of the city plaza, have disappeared to
make way for more pretentious
plants that. unfit for the climate and
inappropriate for the spot, cut the
feeble and sorry figure of weakened
and sapless consumptives."
From the destruction of the fruit
orchards to that of the forests is but
step, and the people are already
waking up to the fact that they must
take measures to protect their enor-
nous and valuable forest resources.
The work of the United States gov
ernment along this line is attracting
attention there and is being watched
with considerable interest.
One writer points out the laws OF
the United States. Canada and Brit
ish India, and commenting. on the
fact that the usefulness OF forests ia
now admitted. goes on to state that
the lack of suitable forestry laws to
prevent the wasteful exploitation OF
the forests WILL If continued, witness
the total destruction of the immense
forests of valuable woods of the Re-
public. So far, the damage done liz
comparatively slight. The enormous
lumber resources of the country are
with few exceptions as yet practical
IL nd nd no In hou
splendid opportunity to show its
wisdom and foresightedness In this
matter by taking action before 1t is
tQn lata Tho nrQqrpsa of tho fQrar= |