The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1909-11-04
FOREST FIRE DAMAGE.
Annual Loss Has Been 50 Lives and
Untold Millions Of Dollars.
To the Editor of The Republican:

- AiiN A~AAAOl VI
The annual loss from forest fires in
the United States for the past half
century has amounted each year to a loss
of 80 lives, 50, 900, 900 acres of woodland
burned over and $50, 900. 900 worth of
merchantable timber destroyed.
As appalling as this appears, the
damage to the forest is not half ac-
counted for. If the full story were told
/ the amount of loss to the forest would
be something like 800, 900, 900. When
we are reminded that at least nine
tenths of this loss can be prevented. I'M
der reasonable precautions, there seems
little excuse. In countries where the
value of the forest is realized, like Ger
many and France, forest fires rarely
occur This immense fire damage,
| coupled with the rapid cutting of mer-
charitable timber, has so depleted our
timber resources that the question of
our future timber supply is a serious
one and is leading forest owners to take
better care of the young growth that is
now coming up after the logging opera
tons.
Naturally this feeling is better devel-
oped in some sections than in others
because in agricultural communities the
amount of woodland has been greatly
reduced. In the mountain sections the
existence of timber shortage is slower
to be felt, but it is, nevertheless, be-
coming a stern reality.
Saw mills that few years ago had
before them large timber supply, are
finding that their field of operation is
becoming more limited every year and
it will only be question of time when
they will be required to move to new
fields or go out of business altogether.
A case in point is the Kendall Lumber
Company at Kendall, on the Youghio-
gheny river. Other operations have
followed, or soon will be following, the
same course. 1t is a melancholy spec
tacle to see the last Of these logging
operations. During the boom days
everything is prosperous and a large
force of men find employed; settlements
or even towns are built up, and there is
a general feeling Of prosperity. AS the
timber supply becomes exhausted the
operation is closed down; men have to
seek work elsewhere; settlements that
were built up by the numbering bust
ness are doomed to decline or extinction
altogether, unless perchance the agri-
cultural interests Of the section can
make good at least a part of what has
been lost.
After the woodlands have been cut
over fires almost invariably sweep over
the land destroying completely what is
left as nucleus for a new timber
growth. In some cases this destruction
has been so complete as to render the
country absolutely unproductive for at
least generation. A case in point is
the southern end of Meadow Mountain
on which the white pine was numbered
some 30 or 40 years ago. The organic
matter collected by hundreds of years
of tree growth in the form of a thick
layer of humus and the young pine trees
that were left We're completely de-
stroyed by the succeeding fires, and to
this day there is over a large part of
this area nothing but brars and buckle
berry bushes scattered among the big
boulders.
1t is natural that the timber should
be cut and it is wise policy to cut all
timber as soon as it reaches maturity,
so that new crop may be secured in
the shortest possible time. The trouble
has been that where the mature timber
has been cut there has been no adequate
provisions for restocking the land Ma
ture has dealt so beautifully with the
mountain forests that they will restock
themselves naturally and with a valu-
able growth, if only given half chance.
The whole trouble is with the forest
fires that repeatedly occur. Timber
lands that we've cut over 20 years ago
and fires kept out are now stocked with
splendid young growth all reaching
merchantable sizes. There are numer-
Gus examples of this in the county of
which the owners may well feel proud.
1t is a pity that it is not the rule rather
than the exception.
1t is safe to say that if forest fires
could be kept out of Garrett county for
the next 20 years, the additional timber
growth would more than pay the animal
county expenses. f. w. B.
October %, 1909.
Notice.