The San Francisco call., 1909-01-18
IULL PROPOSES TO
PRESERVE FORESTS
Bill Prepared to Regulate Tim=
Der Cutting on Private Land
in Watersheds
Maine Supreme Court Has De-
cided Legislation Is Proper
Under Constitution
Especial Dispatch 10 The CALI


CALL HEADQUARTERS CHAMBER
OF COMMERCE BUILDING, SACRA-
MENTO, Jan. 17.-One of the most ex-
citing contests of the present legisla-
ture will be precipitated in a few days
when State Forester G. B Lull causes
to be introduced bill placing under
the control of the board of forestry the
cutting of timber on private lands that
are located in the watersheds of the
state
The bill will be received as a blow
by the lumber companies that are strip
ping the mountains of the state of their
forests and it is expected that power
full machine will be organized to lobby
against the proposed legislation.
AT the present time % per cent of
the forests in the Sierra, where the
main watersheds of the state are loca-
ted, is owned by private interests. and
1t is estimated that the value of the
timbed cut last year was 81 100000.
FOREST GROWTH DEVELOPED
At the rate the water sheds in the
Sierra are being devastated the natural
reservoirs will in a few years be wholly
inadequate to retain the moisture nee
essary for summer use.
During the last summer" said Lull
today, 81 had an assistant examining
into the cuttings of companies in the
water sheds of the Sacramento and San
Joaquin rivers. He FOUND that the
methods followed at the present time
tend to the total destruction OF the
forest growth.
The lumbermen now cut out all the
merchantable timber without regard to
the young growth or the chances of
reproduction. After numbering the
areas are in first class condition for
fires and they frequently are burned
over through carelessness. This de-
stroys the young growth not destroyed
in the course of numbering operations
and leaves the land absolutely barren.
Following this chaparral invades the
burned areas and takes possession,
thus preventing the growing of forest
trees thereafter. This has been the
history of lumber operations In Califor-
MIA
PROPER RULES NEEDED
IF the state board of forestry were
authorized to regulate the cutting rules
would be prescribed which would COM
pei the lumber companies to leave on
the areas logged over certain number
of trees per acre to serve as seed trees
and to prevent injury to the young
growth as far as possible"
Although the lumbermen may seek
to deny the constitutionality of the
proposed legislation as confiscation of
property, that question has been decided
in advance. A year ago the Maine Leg
islature asked the supreme court
whether 1T had the power to pass laws
governing the cutting of timber on pri-
vate lands.
STATE REGULATION UPHELD
The Maine supreme court held that
the legislature not only had the power
to enact such legislation, but that the
original title was vested in the state
and that the present owner held the
land under the restriction that he use
1t in such way that he would not jeop-
ardize the interests of others.
President Francis Cutie and Attor-.
ney E. e. Keech, both members of the
tricounty reforestation committee,
which embraces Orange, San Bernar-
dino and Riverside counties, are among
those who are working in the interest
of Lulls bill.