Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1921-08-01

Like the farmer of wheat, corn
and oats. the government is study
ing the lumber needs Of the pres
ent and the future. together with
the capacity in area and the pro-
ductive ability of the nation in Or
der that those who are yet unborn
may enjoy the rightful heritage of
civilization a harvest of the trees
Though the period of tree
growth--from the seed to the saw
is long, extending as it does over
a space of from fifty to 200 years
or more, according to the kind of
the tree, industry demands a crop
of the various sorts of lumber
every year.
The world is not counting his
tory by periods of single years nor
by decades. but by generations and
centuries.
1.-THE nations timber must not
be stripped from the hills by one
generation of people," forest serv-
ice officials point out. "As coal
and iron are dug from the earth
with every vestige of the supply
exhausted from the locality, in the
blind confidence that new deposits
will be found elswhere. for there
are no longer uneXplored parts of
our country in which may be dis
covered now unknown timber re-
sources"
Growth Data Necessary.
There is just so much of our
virgin forest left and the chief for
ester of the government says that
it is being cut about four times as
fast as timber is growing. /
The government of the United
States proposes to be a farmer with
action based upon wisdom and ex-
perience and to produce according
to the needs of the times to come.
But how can the government
know just how much land is nee
essary to grow every year a har-
vest large enough to supply the
timber needs of the nation? This
knowledge is gained by study of
the rate of growth-volume incre-
Undetermined by the increase
in diameter and height of the va
rious species of trees in the many
different parts of the country,
Scientific Methods.
There are several angles Of ap
proach in the lines of investigation
in this process of determining the
possible forest yields. The annual
growth rings in large numbers of
stumps left from felled trees are
counted and age and volume of the
trees are correlated to learn of past
forest history. There are delicate
scientific instruments called dem
drographs at experiment stations
that record on graphic charts in
magnified lines the growth of trees
as it is occurring in Individual
cases. 1t is, however, not alone
these fine deductions from past
history nor the current observa-
tons of the daily lives of picked
specimens that is going to teach
what the annual tree harvest of
the nation may be made but, with
them, another plan that is big and
broad and easily understood by
everyone.
Catalogued Areas.
Some ten or twelve years ago, In |
the different timbered parts Of the
country and in the different types i
of timber, certain areas that were |
typical or the locality ana the klna
of forest, were selected and the |
lines that delineate the boundaries
were plainly marked. The timber
on these areas was then cut for
market by the logging standards in
use by the forest service. that is. a |
sufficient number Of thrifty seed
bearing trees were left standing to
make sure that a reproduction of |
like species would be forthcoming |
in the open places left by cutting |
the mature trees. OF the trees |
that were taken the stumps were
cut not to exceed fourteen inches
high on the side next to the hill |
and the branches and waste stuff |
was either piled and burned or
scattered close to the ground ac-
cording to the method that was
best suited to the locality.
All of the trees that were left,
the big, thrifty, stately seedbearers