The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1909-10-17

From the Southern Lumbcrman
recent bulletin OF the Forest Service
places the timber area OF Alabama at
20.0Oo.0O0 acres out Of a total OF s2.S1S. $50
acres. The area OF the State originally
in timber was 100000 acres Roughly
speaking, 100000 acres OF the original
forest growth has been denuded. and
two-thirds Of the area OF the State re-
mains in woodlands.
1t would be the biggest sort Of mistake,
however, to interpret these figures as
meaning that anything like 100000 acres
remain in virgin timber growth OF valu-
able quality. Probably only q few Is.l-
Hon acres exist upon which no denuda-
ton OF whatever sort has occurred, and
even Of this only a small part is Of the
best grade and quality. Naturally the
best Of the timber, most accessibly locat-
ed, would be the first to so. What Is left.
except where recently II has been held by
the owners as an investment, Is OF inre-
rior quality or far less advantageously
located for utilization.
widespread FaIIncy Exists.
A widespread fallacy exists in the pub
lie mind as TO the extent and character
OF the original timber growth OF all this
Southern country When the first set
tiers came the forests were q menace and
a difficulty. harboring all sorts OF known
and unknown foes No one can read the
accounts OF the early explorers, in the
light Of recent knowledge. without being
impressed with the extent 10 which their
imagination was profoundly impressed by
the dark. forbidding forests. Naturally
they exaggerated In their own minds. and
in all the accounts they wrote, the extent
OF the forests and the density OF the tree
growth.
Tennessee was one Of the first States
west OF the Appalachian Mountains 20 be
explored. Eastern Tennessee and Ken
lucky. and as far west as the falls on the
Ohio, where Louisville now stands, and
the point on the Cumberland where Nash
vile now stands. had been reached many
times by the hardy hunters from the Vir-
ginia settlements long before any part OF
the immense area between the Alleghe
MES and the Mississippi River had been
penetrated by any other than the French
Jesuits.
The accounts OF all these early explor-
ers, and at least three Of them were men
OF considerable education. who wrote
elaborate journals or diaries. all TEEN
with reiterated references 10 the extent
Of the forests. the difficulty Of traversing
them. and the dangers which they con-
cealed. 1t is only by close reading of
Christopher Gint's journal. for instance,
that IL can be seen that an immense area
in Central Kentucky and Tennessee,
reaching down to within twenty-five
miles OF where Nashville now stands, was
practically without large tree growth
More than one OF the earliest explorers
speaks Of it as a prairie" while all OF
them speak OF II as a barren" a term
which still survives I'm describing a sec
ton OF the country Clint devotes a brief
paragraph to wondering what produced
this absence Of timber growth, but the
whole matter is passed over with less
than one-tenth OF the space he devoted
70 the C-fIculties Of traversing many
wooded areas, which we now know must
have been relatively small in extent.
The distribution Of forest growth. Ike
that Of any other crop. IS matter OF soil
formation. Not all Of the areas Of any