Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1910-05-26
CARE OF BRITISH FORESTS,
Need for and Value of Conseryfnc

Need for and Value of Conserving
Them-Under Control Elsewhere.
The increasing interest taken in
most civilized countries in questions
of forest conservation is a notable
proof Of the growth of wisdom in the
utilization Of the worlds resources
For centuries, the London Times says
mankind was prone to regard forests
mainly as arenas for wholesale and
often wanton destruction. The for
ests we're, as the Siberian peasants
still say, the gift of Cod to be used
or wasted without let or hindrance
Their effect upon rainfall and temper.
allure, their value in preventing the
denudation of soil, the large part they
play in the control of rivers and the
preservation of moisture, were factors
either not understood or disregarded.
Happily, most governments are now
recognizing that forests are valuable
assets, both by reason of the revenue
they produce and the direct and in.
direct benefits they confer The steady
growth of checks upon the reckless ex.
ploitation of forests is a wholesome
sign. Germany led the way in scientific
forestry, and her splendid woodlands
now a possession of enormous value
have been to q large extent under state
control for hundred years. Austria.
Hungary has long realized the import.
ance Of her forests to agriculture, par
ticularly in the Alpine provinces, and
has developed an efficient forestry sys,
tenn. France has not only carried out
large works of afforestation on waste
lands, but has eXemplified the close
interdependence Of forests and water
supply in the official title of her for
est department.
The vast forests of Russia are slowly
coming under scientific control. In the
center and south of Russia strin-
gent measures of regulation have been
introduced, though the huge timber
areas in the north are still almost
without state care. In southern Sibe
ria the process of forest determination
is now largely supervised, and in
Central Asia the very special value of
the mountain forests as ''preservers
and distributors of rain" receives con
slant official attention. Norway and
Sweden have both began to appreciate
the fact that their valuable forests are
not meant solely for destruction. The
United States, already consuming
three times as much timber as the
country annually produces, is turning
with enthusiasm to problems of prac-
tical forestry.
1t is curious, and not little regret
table, that, while so much activity is
visible in other lands, the forests of
the British empire have hitherto re-
ceived comparatively scant scientific
treatment at the hands of the state
The one shining exception is India,
where an admirable forest department
is doing excellent work. Canada is
still chiefly engrossed in production,
and gives little serious attention. to the
restocking of cleared areas, although
her productivity must inevitably di-
minish in time.
Australia has not only failed to re-
alize the immense Importance Of for
est conservation, but in some quarters
at the antipodes the question is even
regarded as a matter of little account
In the united kingdom the influence
of forests on rainfall and water sup
ply is Fortunately a negligible issue,
but the economic advantages of
schemes of afforestation are only now
arousing the belated interest of the
authorities.