Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-19
AND FLOOD
Prof. w. L. Moore's Views of
Tree Destruction.
NO EFFECT ON RAINFALL
Substance of Report Made to Secre-
). tary of Agriculture.
COPY SENT TO CONGRESS
Has Bearing on Controversy Be
tween Former Forester Pinchot
and Secretary Ballinger.

Holding that the destruction of forests
). has no relation to rainfall and to floods.
Prot. Willis Moore. chief of the weather
bureau. has made a report to the Sec
rotary of Agriculture that will form an
other chapter in the controversy between
Secretary Rallinger and former Forester
Clifford Pinchot. The report OF Prof.
Moore has been transmitted to the COM
: mittee of the house on agriculture and
probably will be printed by them in a
few days.
Prof. Moore,s report says that foresta-
ton is controlled by precipitation, but
that the removal of forests has no effect
on climatic conditions. He says further
that the amount of forests on the head
waters of streams Is so small that it has
no appreciable effect on erosion and
foods.
In fact. he says that as forests help
evaporation and prevent some of the
smaller rains from reaching the streams
at all they aggravate low water condi-
:. tions rather than conserve the flow.
Takes Opposite View.
In the course of his report Prof Moore
says:
ject. but little has emanated from me-
service who have for years enga ged in
the measurement of precipitation. We are
told. and it seems to be largely believed
by all except those engaged daily in the
study of precipitation and the movement
of waters. that forests control the flow
of streams, and that the climate is so
materially affected by the cutting away
of the forests that droughts have largely
increased. and the well-being of future
generations seriously menaced. This re-
a Of 10
situation.
There are so many reasons why for
ests should be protected by the state and
the nation and economically conserved
in the interests of the whole people that
IT is doing an injury to a good cause to
attempt to bring to its support the false
reasoning and mistaken conclusions of
enthusiasts, no matter how well-,nean-
Ing they may be or how devoted to high
and lofty purposes.
Trend of the Report.
The whole report is directed toward a
refutation of the views held by former
Forester Pinchot and many of the other
employees still in the government serv-
ice The recent orders of the Secretary
Of Agriculture and of the Secretary of
the Interior for their respective en-
ployes to stop talking prevented any
one in the government service from
i. commenting on the report today. Mr..
Pinchot said that he would not COM
ment on 1t lat present"
1t Is known that some of the drainage
experts of the geological survey have
endeavored since the publication of the
Moore report to get permission to make
a report of the facts as they have been
observed. Whether the director of the
survey or the Secretary of the Interior
will allow the publication it is impos-
sible yet to say.
Views If Scientists
: There is not much question among sci
entists that the presence or absence Of
forests has little or no effect on climate.
That their absence does adversely af-
feet the run-off of transforms and conse-
quaint erosion is generally admitted. 1t is
known that Mr.. Pinchot has never stated
that forests had any effect on rain till 1t
hit the ground. There have been several
government reports on the effects of ero-
sion, all of them saying that the effects
We're disastrous.
One of the few scientists of standing
who takes the opposite view is Col. Chit
tenden of the American Society of Engi-
: neers. He holds that even the absence
of forests has nothing to do with either
= floods or erosion, though in some of the
controversies on the subject he has been
confronted with conditions in China
where the forests have been destroyed
and where the most destructive floods In
the world prevail.
Whether this question will be thra shed
out or whether the report Of Prof. Moore
: will be allowed to rest quietly with the
committee on agriculture, it is. of course,
impossible to say.