McNairy County independent. (Selmer, McNairy County, Tenn.) 1902-1969, 1915-03-19
Care Of Our Timber
K. 5. Maddox, Forester Of the State
Geological Survey.

vested IN q lew months. The farmer
plows his land, plants his crop, cult
waited it, sees it matured. gathered
and marketed in Che same year. H.
receives the flashed product as a re-
suit Of his labor. He also raises his
hogs, sheep, cattle and horses for his
own use or for market, in compare
lively short time. say from one to
i've years. But there is one product
from the farm which does not mature
in such short time; that is timber.
It usually takes our forest trees many
years to become merchantable, Or to
reach a size valuable for lumber.
The owner who clears a portion of
his woodlo', not for agriculture, but
to secure fence rails, fire wood or
lumber. may see fine crop Of young
trees come back on it, but will not
likely live to see them become stand
Of large timber.
The farmers Of the state own a
very large amount of the woodlands
OF Tennessee, and they are the ones
to who we must look to help take
care Of, protect and perpetuate our
timber supply. One may say he has
enough timber to last his life time,
which doubtless is true enough, but
there are others coming after him
who will need wood, timber, lumber,
and who cannot do without them.
His children. his children's children,
and those following them. one gener-
alton after another, will never be
able to get along without these i'm
portant articles.
The timber of the state was once
very abundant, and the population
relatively small. Nature furnished
us with supply ready at hand which
had required no efforts to produce.
We simply took it over as a natural
right and used it pretty much as we
pleased, but now since the population
of the state has increased so much
and the heavy demand for lumber has
J, 80 rapidly drained our forests, we are
beginning to see that we must take
care Of the remainder of our timber
and timber lands. The people need
more and better timber, and they
cannot afford to draw recklessly on
the present stand. The careless,
wasteful manner of handling it must
be thing Of the past in order to
meet the constant demand and rapid
ly growing scarcity of lumber. Every
one knows the price of lumber is high
and going higher.
Those who own timber ought to
take care Of it. This does not mean
they ought to let it stand and not use
it, and let it go to waste. Timber
should be used, but used properly. II
a stand is mature it should be util-
lied, but it should be done in an eco
nomic way, and so that a new growth
could be depended upon. Woodlands
should not be cleared for cultivation
regardless Of their character. Ger
tain woodlands should never be
cleared; they should be kept for tree
growth. If cleared and put under
cultivation they would soon wash
away, unprotected by the forest Gov
err Nearly every one can bring to
mind land of this character. which
has been cultivated only a few years,
and which became worn cut, full Of
gullies and frequently showing good
many "hang-rocks' on the surface,
The washing away Of the soil has left
rock outcroppings which would make
the land difficult if not impossible tc
cultivate, even though it had not be-
come impoverished.
A good deal Of timber is used fol
firewood, which is perfectly all right.
But a good big saving of the better
class Of timber could be made, and
still have our fires supplied. The best
timber frequently finds its way to the
fire place because it is easier tt
work up, but where possible il
shoald be allowed to grow and mature
for a mere profitable, Use. There il
usually enough dead and down timber
trees Of inferior species to supply 6r'
wood; and besides their room is fire.
ouently needed to give sufficient space
for the more rapid growth of the bet
ter species. The farmer would scarce
" think of growing his cotton an'
corn crops without a certain amoun
Of thinning. The principle applies t.
timber. The scrubby and inferio
trees can be cut out and the stant
;ro,.d Even II thinning 4