Putnam patriot., 1910-01-28
Rainfall and Forests.

= great deal u interest la. been
10 fHz cHaa5rY m regard %
5He PRESERVATION aat increase 6 f65-
czfsz aaa Halaaz ~ fsas ans gjseH aH8
Ffs4fs thst tae siimiaH.
zg-5s alHmls.le, IN Hfap6--
tian5 flH3aE q fWa Taal T. ie' ma-t
IS 7fseFy a, safiaaee VIII
fz6,s5 esia .ae5 p eafesaI aaser4a-
toa ma suHe5 statement csnn0t
ue tsed. a8Wesrf. to initiate against
tae importance 81 forest preservation
-sol particle EN.Fore,ter Piachet
used iaA among hi other aaa mote
N3faI Arguments. 10 show The great dan.
~ 81 deaa4IAz eaf hits aud noun
taln.of their trees.
That oar reader, may be sci right on
thi, important question, and become
correctly informed. We eise The follow
ing statement u " u. Moore, chief
OF The tinted states Weather Bureau,
with his ten irrefatahie conclusions
They are a follows:
!. The marked climatic changes that
may have taken place are universal and
not local, and are appreclable only
" hen measured IN geologic periods.
Evidence l. strong that The cutting
away of forests has nothing 10 do with
creating or Hugmenting drauths.
:. Precipitation controls torestation.
bal farestalian has little or no effect
upon prec pitatien.
s ANY lacai qualifications Of temper
atafe and humidity, caused by forest
covering. bai dluss N cities etc. could
mot extend apW ard more than a few
hundred feet, and in this stratum OF
SIT, sAtafati0n rarely occurs even dur
ing falnfaA. aereaS precipitation :
THE result ol conditions that exist al
such attitudes and on such a grand
scale as not To X controlled or affected
by The small thermal irregularities OF
the surface air.
During the period of accurate Oh
se1s aIions, the amount Of precipitation
has not increased or decreased to an
extent worthy of consideration.
5. Floods are caused by excessive
precipitation, and the source Of the pre-
eipiiation over the central ana eastern
portions Of the niIed states i the a
pur borne by the warm southefly winds
from the Gull OF Mexico and the south
Atlantic ocean. Al times spring floods
eccur from the rapid melting OF unasa-
ally large quantities el accumulated
winter SHOWS, and, as GhitIenden has
pointed out, such floods come oftener
from The forest than from the open.
q. The disastrous effects OF soil ero-
son, however caused, appear 10 have
b~en exaggerated, and erosion Is not al
NAYS an unmixed evil.
: Compared with the total area of
given watershed. that of the head~a-
tiers i % SNAIL that except locally in
mountain streams, their run of would
moi be sufficient To canse floods, even II
aesefestation allowed 8 greater and
quicker run OF. Granting. for the sake
u argument, that deforeStation might
- responsible for geaeFal fioosis over a
Watershed, II would u necessary In or
der to prevent them - refore-st the low
eT levels Win their vastly greater areas.
an npsrssloaltly unless Tue lands are 10
oe abandoned Tor the ase II men.
;. The EGn-aH q our rIxers is not
materially affected by any other factor
Than the pFeci plgaIioa. except that the
forest, BY facilitating evaporation and
entirely restraining small or moderate
rainfall during dry ~eSlher, may slight
~ intensity lo~-wAler conditions.
y The high waters are not higher.
and the low waters are mot lover than
formerly. In tack there appears u Do