The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1909-04-09
CHANGE IN FOREST GROWTH.

1t has been remarked by many writ
ers upon forestry that when one spe-
cies Of tree has been removed its place
IL regularly taken by. trees of another
kind. Those who delight In forest
landscape cannot fail to observe the
same change. This is accounted for by
some on the supposition that the soil
has become impoverished Of elements
that supported the original growth. and
that 1t Is no longer suited to the
further production Of such forests. This
theory is in but small part true. In
almost every instance a forest covered
soil Is being increased and enriched for
the continuance Of whatever growth Is
at any time upon 1t. The change Of
species is owing to change in conditions.
Everywhere in the Northern States,
where a mixed growth of hard wood
and of soft wood was native to the
soil. the change has been all in one
direction. The hard wood has given
way to the soft. Persons who have
observed with any thought the appear
ance of New England landscape for
fifty years or more are well aware that
the hills are now wearing darker robes
than they were when the now old men
were boys.
The same thing has been observed in
England. In writing about 1.-THE New
Forest" Horatio G. Hutchinson says:
THE Scotch fir has become so plenti-
full since its introduction In ITO that
one can hardly imagine such rapid and
extensive propagation on the part Of
a forest tree"
Everywhere the change is in the
same direction, from the deciduous
trees to the evergreen; that is, from
those of the falling leaf to those that
keep their verdure all the year round.
This results from the practice of pas
turing woodlands to domestic cattle.
These animals eat greedily every young
beech and maple that they can find.
They have no relish for the young fir
and spruce trees, with their dry and
prickly foliage. Then, again, the resins
secreted by the evergreens seem to be
unpalatable to all animals except sheep
and deer. These will browse upon even
the pitch-pine under stress Of hunger,
when snow is deep on the ground.
In state Of nature, or under the
husbandry of the savages, certain bal
ance Of power was maintained among
forest trees. The squirrels ate the
beechnuts, acorns and spruce seeds with
seemingly equal zest. They made return
for their acquisitions upon the beeches
and oaks by burying at intervals the
nuts and acorns. None Of the seeds of
evergreens needed any such planting.
They are all of them light, and are fur
nished with wings, so that the wind
that shakes them from the cone carries
them sometimes for miles. Wherever
they happen to alight upon the soil,
thew terminate and take root. They
need no covering.
In the New Forest Of England the
tenant population has enjoyed right Of
''pannage,' that is, Of pasturing pigs
in the woods. These animals eat all
the nuts and acorns they can find, and
very few seeds escape them.
Nature has not given the pig the In
stinct of the squirrel to plant now and
then a tree for his future supply nor
has the animal self-denial to lead him
to forego the present qualification of
his appetite. Happily, ia this country
the system Of ''pannage' has been little
practiced; and yet it Is safe to say that
no beech woods can be found except
on land that has been enclosed from
stock of all kinds. 1t would be sad to
miss from the landscape the fine pro-
portions and the splendid foliage Of
any Of the native deciduous trees.