, 1921-06-02
NECESSITY FOR
FOREST PROTECTION

LARAMIE, May 23.-FOrestry,
next to agriculture. is the most i'm
portant industry of the nation; and
Forest Protection is the most urgent
and biggest item OF Forestry. II we
are going to have forests, we must
protect them from being destroyed J
by insects and disease by destructive
logging and by fire.
Fire is by far the greatest enemy |
OF the Forest and the Protection of
Forests from fire is today one OF the
greatest problems of our country.
Unless fire is kept out, sooner or
later the Of our forests
the timber, forage. water and game
disappear and the land becomes a
desolate waste.
There are in this country today
some 45O.OOO.O 900 acres which will
always be forest land because they
are too steep or rocky or swampy to
ever be cultivated. The virgin for
est areas only amount to about $780,
900 900 acres, and there are some
O,0O0. 900 acres of cut over and
burned over land. which has been
stripped Of it's forest. A little OF
this tremendous area stripped of its
forest is producing timber, but the
bulk is being wasted because Of
fires.
The original forest ares of the
United States proper. about 822,-
900 900 acres. supported five tril-
lion, " hundred billion feet Of the
best timber the world has aver seen.
OF this enormous amount, one tril-
lion seven hundred fifty billion feet
has gone up in smoke. Since the
Pilgrim Fathers landed in America,
six hundred billion feet more has
been burned than numbered.
There are today about two trilliOn
five hundred billion board feet of
timber in the United States Cone
half OF which is In the three Pacific
Coast states and practically one
fifth contained in National Forests).
The United States consumes or de-
stroys annually over fifty billion
board feet of material OF saw timber
size. Every year we are taking out
Of u forests four times the amount
= OF timber that W are growing.
The only answer to the Forestry
problem OF the United States is not
to use less wood but grow more to
protect our forests and put u idle
acres Of burned and logged-off tim
her land at work growing trees.
If every acre of Forest land in
"a Souhtiy tOuoy "CEc VIGIL 6tOCACu
with desirable trees and producing
good growth, the total growth would
be but little more than the present
actual cut. or about equal to the
countrys needs. But Forest devas-
tation has now progressed to such
an extent in this country hat it will
take nearly one hundred years OF
the best forestry possible (Which
9 no fire. before the nation can
get onto a SUSTAINED annual yield
basis. which will supply enough
timber for our needs.
1t Is evident that a severe timber |
shortage will surely occur. covering
n period OF at least fifty to one hun
bred years. 1t will be the period be-
tween the year when the depletion
of the present virgin stands Is COM
pleted n the ear when our re-
built devastated forest areas come to
bearing. 1t Is figured that our pres
ent virgin stand will be practically
gone within the mex fifty to sixty
years.
The necessity to keep every acre
OF forest land productive in growing
trees should be appreciated by every
one. BY protecting our Forest from
fire, 80 per CEN Of the problem will
be solved.
The protection Of our forests is a
movement to which every man, wo-
man and child must lend his best
efforts and willing whole-hearted CO.
operation, il it Is to be carried out
to a successful finish. Will you not
join with US to watch for and pre-
ven fires.so that the forests may be
preserved (unspoiled) for future
generations?
The prevention Of forest fires is a
matter which should be Of particu-
lar interest to the people of this part
Of Wyoming since we have It our
door the Medicine Bow National
Forest on which there are three bill
lion feet OF m%erchantable timber
worth millions OF dollars, beside
thousands of acres of young timber
which is of almost equal Importance
to protect. for without young trees
there can be no future timber.
The Forest Service will sell this
year from the Medicine Bow Forest
about $4,000 worth of material for
commercial purposes-about twenty
million feet OF timber utilized into
railroad ties. mine props and lumber
besides )many thousand feet of
timber given away free to settlers
and ranchers which is used locally in
the form Of fence posts, firewood,
house logs and other wood products.
Through the sale Of timber over
$40 900, or IS per cent of the gross
amount received by the Forest Serv-
ice, will be given to the counties for
road and school uses.
The two chief objects Of the For
est Service are the production Of
timber and water protection. Under
forest management it Is necessary
first OF all to protect the growing
agencies. : In years past serious fires
'rava9ed the forests of this region;
but by systematic work ON the part
Of the Government. together with
the hearty cooperation Of the public,
a large part Of this annual loss has