Shoshone journal. [volume] (Shoshone, Idaho) 1884-1931, 1908-12-11
PROTECT THE FORESTS.
Their Peril Belittled by shortsight-
ed, Greedy Public Foes.


ed, Greedy Public Foes.
If there is any one duty which NOR
than another we owe It to our children
and our childrens children to perform
at once It is TO save the forests o
this country, for they constitute thu
first and most important element II
the conservation Of the natural re
sources Of the country. There are. OF
course, two kinds Of natural resources
One is the kind which can only be
used as part Of a process Of exhaus-
ton. This is true of mines. natural
oil and gas wells and the like. The
other, and Of course ultimately by far
tile most important includes the re-
sources which can be improved in the
process Of wise use The soil. the riv-
ers and the forests come under this
head. Any really civilized nation will
so use all Of these three great national
assets that the nation will have their
benefit in the future Just as farm
er, after all his life making his living
from his farm. viii. if he Is an expert
farmer. leave it as an asset of increas-
ed value TO his son, so we should leave
our national domain to our children
increased in value and not worn out.
There are small sections of our own
country in the east and in the west. in
the AdirOndacks. the White mountai.s
and the Appalachians and in the
Rocky mountains. where we can al
ready see for ourselves the damage in
the shape Of permanent injury to the
soil and the river systems which comes
from reckless deforestation. 1t mat
tiers not whether this deforestation is
due to the actual reckless cutting of
timber. to the fires that inevitably fol-
low such reckless cutting of timber or
to reckless and uncontrolled grazing,
by the great migratory
bands Of sheep. the unchecked wan
dering of which over the country
means destruction to forests and dis
lister TO the small homemakers. the 1
settlers Of limited means
Shortsighted persons. or persons
blinded TO the future by desire to I
iibfNt ilViitN III way Out VI llt
present. sometimes speak as If no
.reat damage would be done by the
eckless destruction of our forests
{ is difficult TO have patience with the
regiments OF these persons. Thanks
o our own recklessness IN the use of
ur splendid forests. we have already
rossed the verge Of timber famine in
i
low take can, at least for many
ears, undo the mischief that has al
eady been done. But we can prevent
lrther mischief being done. and 1t
-ould be in the highest degree repre-
ensible to let any consideration Of
,mporary convenience or temporary
)st interfere with such action. espe-
ally as regards the national forests.
hich the nation can now at this very
control. {
All serious students OF the question
e aware of the great damage that l
untries of Europe. Asia and Africa t
: deforestation. The similar dam c
-e that has been done in eastern $
sia is less well known. A recent in "A
stigatiOn into conditions in north o
lima by Mr. Frank \. Meyer Of the e
reau of plant industry of the Unit z
States department of agriculture W
Is incidentally furnished in very II
liking fashion proof Of the ruin that il
mes from reckless deforestation of Ia
and of the further fact that d.
damage once done may prove prac- 7
ally irreparable. So important are OF
'se Investigations that | herewith IL
ach as an appendix to my message re
tain photographs showing present m
editions in China They show in th
Id fashion the appalling desolation. III
ing the shape of barren mountains is
gravel and sand covered plains. So
ich Immediately follows and de- of
IDS upon the deforestation Of the ST,
Gntains. Not many cenuries ago %
country Of northern China was ad
of the most fertile and beautiful MI
Is in the entire world and was IN
Willy foreSted. We know this not 10
Y from the old Chinese records. bu -,
N the accounts given by the trav Ia,
Marco Polo. He. for instanc H.
ltions that in visiting the provinces ~,
Shansi and Shensi he observed 80.
" plantations OF mulberry trees. 49,,
' there is hardly single mulberry ~ -
in either of these provinces, ana
culture Of the silkworm has moved ~, ~
her south. to regions OF atmos-
tic moisture su'
ing
ianse Brought by Differentiation. the
an illustration of the complete wa
lge in the rivers we may take ly
: statement that a certain river. abb
Hun Ilo, was So large and deep arc
merchants assembled it from the the
with heavily laden boats. Today let
river is simply broad sandy bed. The
shallow. rapid currents wander strc
hither ana thi;her across it. alb trio
ely unnavigable But we do not dry
TO depend upon written records. are
dry wells and the wells with wa rent
ar below the former water mark aste