The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-09-11
THE LUMBER SUPPLY.
Must Use Forests Conservatively or W
 Death of Iumher Industry.

Must Use Forests Conservatively or Wait
 Death of Lumber Industry.
 , numnermen m are not %asseaui, s,se, Jar ester in the United States Forest Service. in speaking about the progress of forestry in many cases and the number of men in the lumber industry awakening to the ne- cessfty of conserving the country's forest gressive lumbermen realize that they must adopt conservative methods or live to watch the e.vao. slow death of their great industry made barren through, as we think now the careless and almost criminal methods of the old time lumberman. Practically every section of the country bears scars left after he had skinned the land and left what remained open to the ravages of fire The waste in the woods was terrific; the mill waste was almost as serious. In many cases the percentage of the tree that was was so small that 1 would be ashamed to mention the figure. 1t was considerably less than half.
 All this, however, was more the fault of conditions than of the individual lum- bermen While some of them were without doubt unnecessarily wasteful, the majority operated as economically as they were able to and still make profit Lumber was cheap, and many times only the best changing during the last few years. ho"- ever for the timber supply is dwindlng and prices of forest products are rising 10 a point that permits fuller utilization of timber.
 waste has been reduced because condi- tions now make 1t profitable to use much of the stuff that was formerly left In the woods Improved saw mill machinery IS also playing an important part in the mat
 ter of the closer utilization oI the tree; mill waste and protection of timber hold ings from fire are going long way to- wards conserving our forest resources. DO not think from this that all of the old time practices have ceased or that all who are cutting our forests are practicing forestry-not al nor maybe the majority, but the number is increasing, for the wide awake men are learning that conservative numbering pays progressive Sh hsr iptn Pfnnayl agd shingles outlines it's policy as follows:
 We have always pursued conserva- | course in numbering. taking care or our timber and striving to keep out the fire. | Any timber that blows down or should be | burned We gather up at once ana always so far as possible. all trees s'rueN oy NEh'-
 A'"s we manufacture with thin saws band and gangs. We strive to do our ;Ia woIR ss iS well as anybody can and take pride in the fact that we can furnish anything In | white oak. white pine. or hemlock, that any | firm can east of the Rocky Mountains l from the slabs and edglngs, making about six and half millions year, me ha'- si | ance of the hemlock slabs and edgings' aft, | CT taking out the lath, we load up ana | send to the pulpwood mill; about o.o." cords per year our shansies alS soiIow d11 h,Itt. | ahout six million per year. We also gath. | or m the tops and breaks and limbs of tba bemlock and hardwood timber left in | the slashinEs using all but the oak hicko
 VI and chestnut and send that to the pulp r3ilIs about 5000 cords of 16O cubic feet
 each per year. This gathers up the re- | fuse in the forest so well that there IS AI-
 tie fuel to make a destructive forest Tire. | Every man In our employ for the past
 thirty years has had positive orders when
 ba sees A smoke start on our land or any | one eIse's to drop his work at once and go | n,,t that fire out If he hasn't help suffi- l cient to do it. to send to the office and we | vii give him men enough to put It out | Tn tbjs way we have saved nearly all out | iapd from devastation by fire It IS com | ing up well in second growth or "hieh WE 1 do not cut any. ,...,, .nr,,,,, | "A question of taxation is very serious | one Timberland has been assessed ana tax l sd so high that the owners nave peer | compelled to cut 1t off and could not hoI0 1 if Our recent law permits some cohces ! sion on thirty acres of land only to ont | owner where kept in growing timber, II | taxation of growing timber were lower own | srs would not be compelled to cut II s' rapldIy So far we have not succeeueu U
 any legtslation for the prevention or iores
 fires that amounts to anything th'
 fire can be kept out and taxation reoueeu o, | with judicious cutting there IS no IeaSol
 why Pennsylvania should not nave uihoe
 sufficient for all time. A.
 "Statements like these, contlnueu tH tn
 forester, show that practical men oi W tn
 lumber industry at present are aIIIeIen Ssn
 from the old timers who went Into the TOT ] est. sIashed away to their hearts content