Grainger County news. (Rutledge, Tenn.) 1917-current, 1921-03-30
TENNESSEE FORESTRY
ASSOCIATION

Washington, ID. C., March IL
That the Tennessee forestry Associa-
ion gave strong support to the pro-
posed bill providing for protection of
the States woodlands against fire
was urged at a recent meeting of the
association in Knoxville, by j. G..
Peters of the Forest Service, United
States Department of Agriculture.
"Private owners of forest lands, The
said, Should be required to share in
the cost of protection. which would
also be shared by the Federal Gov
eminent. if the State, by enacting
the law. was prepared to accept the
cooperation and financial aid
''The forests of Tennessee" Mr..
Peters told the members of the asso-
ciat.on, are one Of the most valu-
able resources. They have produced
untold wealth and they have in the
past aided materially in preserving
the even flow of rivers. But their
depletion has progressed at such a
rate as seriously to interfere with the
States welfare.
Has $4,000, 900 Acres of Woodland
"The present area of woodland in
the State is abaout IL million acres
of which ten and a half millions are
covered primarily with hardwoods
and 1-2 millions are covered with
softwoods. Of this total only 2 mil
lions are left of the original virgin
forests. about 100000 acres are OF
merchantable second growth, $500
900 acres of understandable SECOND
growth, and 100000 acres practical
lv barren and not restocking. You
State Forester has estimated tina
the area of waste land in the Stat
is about one million acres, the, resul
of forest denundation and poor met
DDS of farming. This land could hes
be growing timber.
"The total remaining stand of tim
Der in the state is about 30 billlo
feet, of which 25 IL billions is har
wood. The cut for all purposes
about one billion feet annually. I'll
cut of timber alone has decrease
from Ia billion feet in 1909 I
c30 millions in 1918, or about haI
Of what it was ten years ago. Tel
nessee still exports hardwoods, bl
has to import three-fourths of il
softwoods needs.
"The cause of these things is tin
Der depletion, the result of over-cu
ting combined with lack of fore
renewal including especially tot
absence on the part of the State
give adequate protection against flo
est fires. Such reports as the Fore
Service has been able to secure fro
Tennessee showthat during the fol-
years 1916-1919, the average ar,
burned over each year by forest fir
was more than 100000 acres, with g
average annual loss in timber al
improvements of about $500
These figures are extremely co
timber and improvements these a
enormous additional losses which CT
sentative, for undoubtedly lari
number of fires were unreported.
would seem that the average year
loss to the state by forest fires is
least 100000. Besides the loss
not be measured in dollars and cen
as for the example the destruction
young understandable trees, the q
terioration of the soil, the encoura
ment of inferior trees to take t
place of valuable ones, the checki
of tree growth, and lastly, but by
means the least important, the ere
in of the soil, with it's damaging {
feet from floods and the sitting
of your river channels.
Tells His Experience
e"Mr w. B. Townsend. lumberm
of East Tennessee, told the Southe
Forestry Congress at New Orlea
year ago how he had pre- tected f
numbered years cut-over area
10000 acresin the Smoky Moui
aims, the expense he had gone to,a
how the land had restocked itst
with amagn ficent growth of yor
poplar trees. Also, how during a d
time some one set fire to the WOO
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