The Hartford republican. (Hartford, Ky.) 18??-1926, 1915-11-26
The tMests Of Kentucky.

w tne STATE = RrpAt natural resources
which, properly used and conserved,
mean a permanent source of revenue
to the citizens of the Commonwealth.
The best figures obtainable place the
remaining supply of Kentucky timber
at $4,000. 100000 feet board meas
ure. The area of Kentucky is al 1858
square miles or 27,421,12O acres.
About 35 per cent of this area sup
ports some kind of tree growth. In
1913 che last figures available)
there was cut Sal $4,000 board
measure of timber from Kentucky
forests, q decrease of about 100 ,000,-
600 feet from 1912. About $780,
600 cross ties are purchased annually
by the railroads from the forests of
., this state About $4,000, 900 feet
board measure of timber from Ken
lucky forests is consumed annually
in mining operations within the State
An unestimated amount of timber
from Kentucky forests isused for
slaves, heading and hoop-poles; for
telephone and telegraph poles and
poles for electric light and power
companies: for fence posts and fenc-
ing; for Hath and shingles; and num-
erous other uses. The annual drain
roughly is SOO,OOO,OOO feet board
measure. There are over 90 active
mills in the Commonwealth and over
sci 100000 in capital is invested in
the logging and milling operations.
! Over thirteen thousand wage earners
are employed five times as many as
in the distilled liquor business, which
! Kentucky consumes each year over
: 200, 100000 feet of her own forests
/ in the further manufacture of wood
/ into final form, and imports close to
/ 200 200 feet from other States
/ for which nearly $lO,OOO.OOO is paid
annually. over ESQ firms are engag-
ed in this character of manufacture,
/ rho chief products of which are:
/. Boxes and Grating.
.. Sash. doors and planning mill
products.
2. Vehicle stock.
4. Furniture of all descriptions.
r. Handles.
G. Cars, locomotives and railroad
cars.
Z. Musical instruments.
3. Farm implements.
3. Baskets, fruit and vegetable
packages.
10. Tanks and tubs.
II. Collins. caskets and casket
cases.
IL. Trunks.
IS. Miscellaneous.
Forest conservation in Kentucky
means:
/. The use OF every acre of land
lot more valuable for the production
If agricultural crops, orchards, OF
,asture for the production of forest
crops.
g The complete utilization of all
'ucts cut in the woods, so far as hui
ranlv possible and commercially
feasible.
3. The placing under competent
economic control those natural con-
'itions which make for the perpet-
lation of our forests as capital so
hat our forests represent sound,
longtime business investment. This.
last proposition may be accomplished
as follows:
By the protection of our forests
rom forest fires. The annual dam
ge from this source from 1911 to
1914 was $33O,0OO each year. The
'ecords of the Office of the State For
ester show that in 1914 in eighteen
'ounties 1d2 fires burned over 81
1876 acres, damaging mature timber
to the extent of 1,621.75; young
growth to the extent of O,2O7.27,
and improvements buildings and
fences) to the extent of $7,121.60.
The causes of these fires SO far as
ascertainable, during this same year
G914) were; railroads, s; brush
burning (chiefly clearing of land),
rs: incendiary, 5; hunters dnclud-
ing coon, bee, nut and possum hun
ers), 10; miscellaneous. 3; saw
mills. 4. and unknown. "a. 1t is
zen that over 20 per cent of the
''nown causes could be directly be
'ttributed to carelessness; and, con-
'idering the unknown causes. 1t is
probable that fully 80 per cent Of the
t42 fires reported were due to care
essness and easily preventable. For
st fires cause the following damage:
/. They either destroy entirely ma
'ure timber or seriously lower the
rrade of what is not actually de-
alr Co.