The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-10-25
MAKES PLEA
 FOR FORESTS Fair Audience Hears Ex-
 pert Foster. RESOURCES ARE ExHAUsTING Alabama Was Congratulated for Steps Already Taken. Advice Given to TImbermea and Land Owners to Treat Trees As
 Crops of Long Inter-
 vnls.
RESOURCES ARE ExHAUSTING

One of the educating features of the fair just closed was the address of J. H. Foster. of the United States Forest Service. who spoke Saturday to an immense audience in the grand stand. Mfr, Foster Is engaged in making q preliminary survey of the Alabama forest resources. having been sent here by the Washington Bureau, by and with the cooperation of the Ala bama Commission of Forestry.
 Forest protection and preservation was the tn eme of Mir. Fosters speech He told of the abiding interest being taken in forest preservation by the Ma. tional government and congratulated Alabama on her forward steps along like lines.
 Forestry means the protection and rise of tfmberlands by methods which will not impair their value in the fu- ture," said MT. Foster.
 Forestry is conservative numbering. Trees are really crops which are har- vested at long intervals They should be cared for like other crops.
 Germany and some European states have nearly reached perfection in managing timberlands. Cutting should allow for future growth by saving young trees or leaving scatter ed mature trees to seed up the ground again. The fires must be kept out.
 The whole country once contained q wealth of forest that no one ever imagined could be exhausted. The forest were first exh hausted in the East. then In the lake states, now in the South. the remaining large holdings being in the Pacific states.
 The annual consumption has in- creased from eighteen billion of feet in 1880 to 100 billion in 1908. The in- crease Is out of all proportion to the increase in population. The amount of mature timber Is estimated at 1000 billion feet wh ich win be gone in less than twenty years. We do not realize the tremendous amount ot timber that is used annually. With the increase in use Of steII iron and concrete the timber used increases in like measure. The paper industry is Exhausting thef northern spruce forests, The use of wood for railroad ties, teie- phone and telegraph poles, mine props, not 10 mention construction consumes, an amount almost beyond Dur conpreh enSion.
 Tires, destroy more value in timber lands every year than the lumber that is manufactured.
 Tt is the little fires that burn an- nuahys tover the ground which make the real loss to the country. Forests needed for watershed protection to prevent floods and alternating sea- sons of drought. to prevent soil erosion and clogging the channels of our navi- gable rivers
 The development of forestry work hy the Federal government in the last two Sears has been wonderful Con- gress passed a law authorizing the President to set aside public lands, bet ter suited for forests than for agricul- ture. as forest reserves. There are now 16S million acres so established west of the Mississippi river.
 These national forests areN protect ed from fire. are numbered as this can be done without injury to the welfare of the forests and they will never de- crease In value. A handsome revenue