The Lambertville record. [volume] (Lambertville, N.J.) 1872-1968, 1920-04-16

coutry, which must be studied to TORN
q broad national policy of forest con
i servation was held in Asheville, N. e
Forest problems Of Kentucky, Mort;
Carolina, and Tennessee were discus
sed by representatives of these State:
and of the Forest Service of the United
States Department of Agriculture.
1t was the sense of the men in at
| tendance that the Federal Government
should take the leadership in bring
ing about through cooperation ant
assistance to the States such meas
ures as may be necessary for the ade
quate protection Of private timber
lands and their renewal after cutting
the timber.
Ever since the settlers along the At
lantio seaboard pushed westward
through North Carolina, Tennessee and
Kentucky, ever since Daniel Boone
felled the trees that went into the
first log house in the blue grass coun-
trv. the smack of the woodman's ak
and the crashing down of monarchs OF
the forests have made an almost cease
less refrain in these States endowed
by Nature with woodlands of an ex-
panse that seemed limitless. The
woodmen are nearing the end of the
trail The forests of North Carolina,
Tennessee and Kentucky, along with
the forests of all other States in the
Fast, are rapidly being exhausted.
If the cutting out of the forests
goes on as it has gone on, and without
any provision for preservation of part
of them or for the growing of new
forests, in surprisinly few years
there will be no lumber-producing for
ests left in the East. This is the state
ment Of officials of the Forest Service.
They realize that the situation will
not be met by calling attention to the
historic poem, "Woodman, spare that
tree" They believe that a compre-
hensive program Of forest preservation
and renewal must be worked out CO.
oreratively by the Federal Govern
ment and the States.
important In Three States
These three States are regarded by
Forest Service officials as among the
most important forested States of the
East They produce great quantities
of lumber and other forest products.
North Carolina, Tennessee, and Ken
lucky still have great areas of forest
lands. Kentucky, with total area Of
25.715. 900 acres, has 100000 in for
ests; North Carolina, with 31,193,00C
acres, has 100000 in forests; Tenn
essee, with 26,679,00O acres has 10000,
600 in forests. Thus nearly half OF
tho total area Of the three States i:
in forests. If this great natural for
est resource is not safeguarded, one
of the most important supports of the
industry and springs of wealth in this
section of the country will fail.
In point of fact, forestry officials say
it has already been seriously impaired
and the impairment is progressive
Many wood-using industries are con
fronted with the danger that local SUD
plies of material necessary to their eX
istence will soon cease to be obtain
able When woodworking establish.
ments have to move or close down
local prosperity is dealt hard blow.
Forest exhaustion in hardwood re
eions does not necessarily disclose
itself in the form of decreased forest
area The land usually remains under
tree growth, but of an inferior, if not
valueless character The high-grade
trees are cut out. In consequence,
the forests deteriorate until their use
fulness for the support of industries
is gone. The only way to prevent this
is by the application of forestry, which
maintains productiveness through
right methods of cutting and through
fire protection.
Forest Exhaustion Indicated
The exhaustion of the forests in
these three States is indicated by of
fetal Government figures of lumber
production for 1899 and 1917-the
latest year for which they are avail
able In 1899 the board feet cut in
Kentucky totaled 765.949,O 900, which
was % per cent of the total produc-
ton in the entire country. In 1917
the Kentucky production, with few
small mills not recorded, was 329 ,203,-
600, or / per cent of the country's total
production. For the same years Tenn
essee's production decreased from $780,
463,000 to 5S2,OO3,O00, or from 2.7 per
cent to Is per cent of the country's
total. In North Carolina, however, the
lumbermen were striking into the
mountain forests in 1917, and the pro-
duction for that State was 1,316,307, 900
a slight increase over the 1878, 900
in 1899. The North Carolina percent
age of the total American production
was 81 per cent in 1899 and per cent
in 1917.
Industries Depend on Forests
North Carolina ranks high in wood
working industries. 1t has many fur
niture factories and extensive vehicle