The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-06-18
|COMER WILL ASK
 FOR FIRE LAWS Wants Paid Fire Patrol to o
 feet Forests J. H. FOSTERS REPORT Officer of National Forestry Depart ment Points Out Need of Better Protection in AIabama-The
 Report In Full.
J. H. FOSTERS REPORT

Montgomery. June IT, -(special.)-As a result of the meeting of the state for estry commission in his office Wednesday in his call for a special session of the legislature provision for forestry iegisla- ton. It is presumed that this will in- clude, above all else. provision for a paid fire patrol service in all the counties to save the forests. Secretary John H. Wal lace. Jr.. after the meeting. said that he was fully convinced that there would be laws for the care of the forests from the extra session.
 Present were Gov. B. B. Conner, John H. Wallace. Jr., J. A. Wilkinson and Prof. R. S. Mcintosh, the last named member of the faculty at Auburn. How ard Douglass of Washington county and Frank Matlock of Mobile were also on hand, come to urge the adoption of fire patrol law in order that the timber left may be saved from the fires of the care less and the wanton. Each of them say that many thousand trees are killed every Year by this means.
 ''If there is not some relief Washing ton county will be desert" said pr. Douglass.
 J. H. Foster of the national forestry department, who recently made an exam ination of the Alabama forests. was. not present. ut his report was read by Secretary Wallace. It embodied all the recommendations that are included in the idea to take care of the forests in the best way, as well as to foster them by such means as are known to be of greatest value. The report made a great impres- sion on the gentlemen present and will be productive of good.
 MT. Fosters Report.
 The main features of MT. Fosters re- port follow:
 The examination of the forest conditions of Alabama has shown conclusively that the timber wealth of the state is rapidly disappearing; that if the present mis- management and neglect is continued there Is little hope for a valuable yield of timber in the future, and that .he time is at hand for the introduction of a policy which will guarantee the per- petuation of timber supply at least suf- f1cient for the states own industrial and agricultural development.
 The supply of virgin timber will be very nearly gone in 15 years. The present
 
 the amount of annual growth. The pres ent systems of numbering and turpentin- ing make no provision for future yield It is a question whether the timber of the future will furnish much more than the fuel needed for the homes. Forests naturally flourish in Alabama, and all that Is necessary is that they be pro- | tected and wisely utilized. The needs of the state briefly sum- marked are as follows: 1. The employment of trained forester to have charge of county forest wardens, to examine state and private lands and advise in their management and to carry on educational campaign throughout the state.
 2. revision of the forest fire laws so as to require the counties to pay s250 annually for salary and expenses of for est wardens, to require railroads to pa- trol and clear their rights of way, to hold all persons responsible for damages by fires passing from their own to adja- cent property, to compel the appointment of forest wardens on private timberlands, and to provide for the posting of fire notices over the state.
 3. The creation of state forest reserves out of school and tax lands and by pur- chase. to be kept forever under forest management.
 f. The enactment of more stringent stock laws. particularly to keep hogs within enclosures through the year. l 5. A restriction of numbering operations and the establishment of a fixed mini | mum diameter for turpentining. 6. An appropriation for a detailed ex- | animation of the forest resources of the l state, including an accurate map, an esti- mate of the timber. and the rate of 1 growth of trees in all types within the | state, to be made through the cooper ation of the national forest service and 1 the state of Alabama.
 '. An effort to arouse the widest in- i terest in forestry work among all classes of people in all parts of the state by means of lectures. literature, correspond ence and personal interviews The per petuation of the forests cannot be as sured by legislation alone, but depends upon the people.