The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1909-03-11
STATE RESERVATIONS
Forester T. Roy Morton Writes an
Instructive Article On the Import.
ance OF Forest Protection.
wOODMAN SPARE THAT OLD OAK TREE

Doubtless there is not an IN
vestment within the borders OF
the State but what is better un.
derstood IN it's aims and purpos-
es than is the State Forest Res.
ervations.
The investment is no doubt q
good one, as later facts will show,
but the primary aim is the object
lesson IN practical forestry upon
cheap lands for the edlfication of
the people of the State that tim
ber growing may be lntelllgently
performed thereon and thus lands
now abandoned may be reclaimed
to value and the tim ber needed
for the industrial welfare of the
State augmented by replenish-
ment in so far as such lands can
do 1T.
Money is the one small feature
to be considered IN the object of
the reserves. The aim is higher
than financial profit; it Is more
for direct effects, auch as regula.
ton of moisture, prevention of
erosion, preservation of game,
and landscape beauty, for we
want to enjoy the mountains, not
bare, not ugly, but as nature pro.
vided them-clothed with trees
and beauty, that they may be
places of resort not merely for
pleasure but also for health, for
the air in the forest is healthier
than the air IN the country.
In the many direct ways in
which the objects of the reserves
bring about, the State, in the end,
gets value received for every dol.
lar invested with we'll Tim oered
reserve always remaining.
In taking up the objects of State
reserves L have divided them INTO
five main headings: namely-tirst
protection of head waters; second
benefit they give farm land; third
prevent erosion of mountain
slopes; fourth recreation pur-
poses; fifth maintain industries.
In taking up the first, protec-
tion of the head waters, by this
it furnishes means of transporta.
tion, irrigation, fishing, water
power, and since water power of
our rivers is one of the most valu
able assets of our State put, as
can be readily seen, unless the for
ests at the head waters of these
rivers are protected, the melting
OF the SHOWS In the spring will
cause freshets for week and
then during the summer months
the water will be so low that mills
using water power must either
shut down entirely or else run
only a portion of the time. The
usefulness of some of our streams
for water power Is already de-
stroyed and they can only meet
the demands which must be made
upon them in the near future by
extreme reforestation In which
hearty co operation from every
one is needed. 1t is the users
themselves who can be of chief
assistance in dong away with the
bad methods.
Ii by careful methods in the
utilization of waste areas we can.
IN some measure, re.establish
these relations we will have done
much to lessen our labor and add
TO the wealth of the State.
Coming to the last object for
protecting the head waters, Is,
that of furnishing pure water for
cities and towns.
1t has been from the start the
object of the State to secure land
at the head of such streams as
important towns and cities re-
ceive their water supply and un-
der care promote an increase In
the quantity of water supplied by
these areas and an improvement
III Its quality. No town should
receive It's water supply by drain
age from the surface of cleared
fields. which is always muddy and
usually filthy. The best water
even when filtered Is no better
thar the citizens should have. -
Therefore, why not have reserve
at the head of such streams if for
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