The daily sentinel., 1908-12-28

! r. themselves and have quer1ed the r
+ United States forest service, is +
4. the custom a menace to the +
+ movement for forest preserva- +
I. tion?'' +
| + - + = + + +
In the millions of happy homes
over the country where the younger
generation has made the Christmas
tree the center of play since early
Friday morning. there are many mo-
| theirs and fathers who have given the
question more or less thought From
Sunday schools and other organiza-
tions also. which hold an annual cell
ebration around gayly trimmed ev-
| ergreen for the benefit of the little
| ones. has come the question whether
it is consistent to urge conservation
of forest resources and then to cut
millions of young trees every year to
afford little Joy in the passing hol
iday season.
Yes, it is consistent and proper
that the custom should be main
tained." has been the answer of Unit
ed States Forester Clifford Pinchot in
every case. Trees are for use, and
there is no other use to which they
could be put which would contribute
so much to the joy of man as their
use by the children on this one great
holiday of the year.
THE number of trees cut for this
use every year is utterly insignificant
when compared to the consumption
for other purposes for which timber
is demanded Not more than mill
ion Christmas trees are used each
year-one in every fourth family. If
planted 1 feet apart they could be
grown on less than l. 800 acres. This
clearing of an area equal to a good
sized farm each Christmas should not
be a subject of much worry, when 1t
is remembered that for lumber alone
ii is necessary to take timber from an
area of more than 100000 acres ev
cry day of the year.
1T is true that there has been ser
ious damage to forest growth in the
cutting of Christmas trees in vari
Gus sections of the country, particu-
larly in the Adirondacks and parts
of New England. but in these very
sections the damage through the cut
ting of young evergreens for use at
Christmas is iniinitesimal when COM
pared with the loss OF forest resour-
ces through fires and careless meth
DDS of numbering. The proper rem
edy is not to stop using trees but to
adopt wiser methods of use.
1T is generally realized that a GER
tain proportion OF land must always
be used for forest growth. Just as for
other crops. Christmas trees are one
form of this crop. There is no more
reason for an outcry against using
land to grow Christmas trees than to
grow flowers.
The forest service upholds the
Christmas tree custom, but recogniZ-
es at the same time that the indis-
| criminate cutting of evergreens to
| supply the holiday trade has pro-
| duced bad effect upon many stands
of merchantable kirda of trees in diff
ferent sections of the country. Waste
| and destruction usually result when
| woodlands are not under a proper
| system of forest management. For
| esters say that il is not by denying
ourselves the wholesome pleasure of
| having bit of nature in the home
! at Christmas that the problem OF
| conserving the forests will be solved,
but by learning how to use the for
ests wisely and properly. The raw
ages through forest fires must be
| checked, the many avenues OF waste
of timber in it's travel from the woods
| to the mill and thence to the market
must be closed, and almost number
less important problems demand at
tention before the Christmas tree.
How is this? Pair of lots on Teller
Netween 5th and 9th for $3.50. Ollie