The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1910-02-04
FLORIDA TREES AND FORESTRY
Mrs. Kirk Munroe's Good Work in
Adding to the Natural Attractions
Of Our State

Of Our State
| A synopsis of the paper read by Mrs
Edward Helvenston at Arbor Day
celebration this afternoon at the Ocala
| primary school. The paper was in
| iteresting. instructive and able. 1t was
| we'll read
l heard the other day. it said, of a
| woman living in Colorado who will see
/ a 1000 trees are planted in her state.
Those living in Florida and who have
i planted orange trees know what u
| task this will be. l heard a splendid
paper lately read on forestry written
! by a resident of Florida for a Florida
audience. but there was scarcely a
| word about Florida forestry. 1t is
we'll TO know what is being done else
where in forestry work, but our first
care and thoughts should be about
| Florida trees.
The history of forestry work began
in this state in 1925 by an act of Con-
gress appropriating $4,000 to buy live
oak lands on the Santa Rosa Sound
| near Pensacola in West Florida. Sub
! sequently other Florida lands We're
| purchased to the extent of 20S.224
acres. Trees were first planted. but
! there was difficulty is their growing.
when acorns were planted and did
fairly we'll in growing trees, but most
of the work was in caring for the
| wild trees. The object of this work
| by the government was to secure
| timber to build warships. but the civil
| war coming on and iron substituted
for wood, forestry work was stopped.
i The lands were then neglected and
i squatters occupied them and finally
the lands were open to settlers.
II ,,ir.l ~ InY,tF Fln
! among the first to introduce forestry,
| but the work is again coming on and
| with our two first reservations and the
work of the Woman'S Club and great
! things are in store. True the work
has just begun, but people are sitting
| up and taking note of our efforts. Our
most encouraging work is in starting
parks in every town and village, not
! q park with one tree, but a genuine
! park. Men enjoy a park almost more
! than women. If Your town has no
| park begin at once to talk park. If
/ your town has trees start a campaign
. against disfguring them with signs.
, Appeal to your merchants in this and
| they will respect your wishes. If no
| local law to prohibit such desecration.
| have one passed. The county COM
missioners should also be appealed 70.
| or neglected road and beautify it. In
time what a marvellous effect it has in
| attra citing attention and causing fav-
| orable comment.
The first forestry congress was held
at DeFuniak in 1855 at which Prof.
A. II. Curtis read paper on forest
| trees of the state. He enumerated
| 202 trees Since then Prof. John
Clifford has brought the number up to
nearly 800. The L. S. about 500 in
digenous trees. in Florida over 200 and
| if we count transplanted trees nearly
400.
i Prof. Curtis paper was so thorough
and correct it is the basis of informa-
| ton on the subject. The writer then
| tells of the uses our trees are put.
| they are.
| \ strip of land between Miami and
Cocoanut Grove contains a larger va
rety of trees than any known section
! in this country. so says Prof Sar-
gents foresters and Prof Clifford says
! Florida has Il greater variety of trees
than any state in the Union.
| In November. 1908, the Ocala Ma
tional Forest Reserve was created
The lands are just across the Okla
waha river. includes all of the big
scrub to the St Johns and extends
south from the Oklawaha to the bor
der lines of Lake county and the lands
of the Santa Rosa and Walton sec
tions were placed back for park pur-
noses In due time these reservations
will be improved. The government is
taking a deep interest in turDentine
Hands and are carrying on expert
Iments to note the effect of tapping
the trees and for this especial study
small tracts of government land Will
be let for this purpose under the
!superviSion of P. D. Edwards Owing
| 70 the fact that a large per cent OF
Florida forest reserves do not contain
a stand of sawmill timber planting of
trees will fill the vacancies
| To cOunteract the effect Of diSaS-
trous fires in government reservations
Prof Clifford and others recommended
careful burning of the woods once a
year. at a time il does the least dam
age as done in France If this is not
done so much rubbish accumulates
that when fire does occur and they
are sure to come. great loss ensues
| Experiments along these lines will be
carried on.
Because Of the work that must be
done in F'lorida's forest reserves. i;
behooves the schools of the state to
consider the study of forestry. The
Florida university has no chair OF
forestry but it must have one. Neither
has Rollins College or Stetson Cniver-
sity a forestry course, but they must
supply this necessity and keep pace
with the work done in Northern col
leges for forestry education. so tha,