River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1909-10-07

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the life of all the Industries which de-
pend upon it, but also the control Of
the waters for human use. There is
only barrenness in the future of the
nation which has lost the use of wood
and the control of water.
'"The sort of use that was made of nat
ural resources during the pioneering
stage, while right enough at the time,
is far too wasteful to be carried on in
to the new industrial era. In order
to know how to use thing, however,
1t is necessary first to find out how
much of it there is to use, and taking
stock of our forest resources has led
to startling results.
"It has shown that we are still de-
stroying the forest as we use it; that
we are taking from it every year three
and half times as much wood as Is
added by the new growth 1t has
shown that less than one-third of the
growing trees felled by the lumber
man is ever used at all, so that two
thirds of all the timber cut is simply
destroyed. 1t has shown that one-elev-
enth Of all the forests are swept by
fires every year, and that on the aver
age since 1870, forest fires have yearly
cost $50, 100000 in timber and SO lives.
1t has shown that over SO per cent. of
the forests in private hands-which
comprise three-fourths of all the for
est land and four-f1fths of all the wood
is thus devastated by destructive
hn OP
fires, while less than one per cent is
properly handled for successive crops
or effectively protected from fire. The
forest as resource is rapidly being
obliterated.
But the inventory of the forests
has had yet other ugly facts to reveal.
With the disappearance and deteriora-
ton of the mountain forests the ma
ton is losing control of the streams,
which are useful in our civilization in
ways and degrees unparalleled by any
other resource. Pure water for do
nestle purposes is, of course, indis-
pensable; disable water at the right
seasons is the sole reliance of the
great projects by which the arid lands
are vivified by irrigation; cheap wa
ter transportation is matter Of dol
lars and cents to every citizen; trust
worthy power streams are the key to
the age of electricity, at the gates of
which modern industry is standing.
Yet the guardian of the waters IS
steadily compelled to retreat before
the ak and fire.
In waste alone we reject more than
two-thirds of the lumber that might be
taken from the standing trees. At
least half of this waste is unneces-
sary. IN the first place, we waste the
forest by refusing to take advantage
of its full capacity for growth. Pro
tected and properly managed, our for
ests will produce far more wood than
they do at present. But while 1t is
wasteful to cripple the forest by vio-
lent numbering which destroys young
growth-the promise of the future for
est-it is doubly wasteful to lock up
the forest and let the ripe timber die
and decay, for in the former case the
forest at least contributes a temporary
supply of wood, whereas in the latter
case it contributes no wood at all.
1T Is not use which destroys the
forests, but waste. Not use as such,
but destructive use, combined with in
excusable neglect, is causing the for
ests to dwindle under our progressive
demands upon them. The problem,
therefore, is not to be solved by dis
use, but by wise use and protection.
These together will so stimulate for
est growth that the needed wood may
be harvested without depicting the
stock on hand. and will keep intact
the protective cover at the stream
sources"