The New York herald., 1922-11-05
Aids Municipalities and In
dividuals to Utilize
Waste Tracts.
WOODS VITAL TO NATIONS
Their PrOdigal Use Ruined An
cient Observation-Disclosures
Long Prudent.
Special Dispatch to THE New YORK HERALD.
New York Herald Bureau,
ALBANY. Nov L.

New York Herald Bureau,
Albany, Nov. 4.
The soil is the source of all wealth.
Trees are It's preservers. The decline
of nations follows the decline of their
forests. The lands of some of the an
cient world Powers are now barren
wastes, and China is a present day
example of the abject helplessness
that comes from vast treeless tracts.
Floods drown its people in the rainy
season and drought starves them in
the dry season.
Trees, which retain the water in the
soil, would have prevented untold suf-
fering to millions. Three hundred
years ago European nations woke up
to a realization of the absolute neces-
sity of preserving their forests If they
would avoid the doom of Babylon,
Nineveh, Egypt and Persia.
These facts are known to every eX-
pert on forestry. But the United
States is only now awakening to sthe
vital Importance of the forests. Thirty
years ago reforesting proposals were
laughed at. People could not believe
that our vast forests could ever be
exhausted. Those who sounded the
warning of disappearing trees were
pointed out as suffering from some
sort of mania They were called de-
nudatics.
To-day most of the Eastern States
whose forests have for years been fast
diminishing under the lumberman's ak,
are being aroused to the need of re-
forestation. Forestry associations and
State conservation departments are
planting trees. Municipalities and pri-
vate individuals are given aid and Nen-
colragement in reforestry movements.
Watersheds and parks are being
planted with trees.
Massachusetts n Pioneer.
Massachusetts Is a pioneer in this
work. 1t Is one of the few States IN
the Union that has fully grown PR
vately planted and cultivated forests.
New Hampshire is another. but IN
Maine. one of the greatest lumber pro.
cIeing States in the country. refor-
estry has not gained much headway.
Maine people until recently did not see
the need of II because of the vast
forests still there in their virgin state.
In the past few years. however. interest
In reforestation Is taking hold there.
A number Of towns have young forest
plantations, and forestry association
is being formed.
AS far back as 1870 lumbermen in
Massachusetts, foresaw the time when
natural white pine as a marketable
commodity would be gone and realized
that the rise in price would make the
planting of white pine forests q paying
investment. Large plantations were
made by private owners and few by
corporations. This continued until about
1880. when forest plantations of white
pine I'm the State covered about 10 Dl
acres. II then declined because of the
immense supply of Timber brought from
the Great Lakes at low transportation
~ates and the inadequate methods
ct combating forest fires. These con-
ditions gradually tended 10 dampen the
enthusiasm OF the forest planter.
Massachusetts few years ago began
another campaign OF reforcstation on
waste land. The state has taken up the
work. and it's State forester. in coopera-
tion with its forestry association has
established large number of communal
forests. The city of Fitchburg recently
won a prize In a state contest for its
fifty acres Of white pine plantation. TIE
plantations throughout the State range
from trees few inches In height to
tiheen and twenty feet. and they may
be seen on the watersheds Of many of
In lakes and streams.
J. r. Simmons, now secretary OF the
New York State Forestry Association
and formerly assistant forester Of Mas
sachusetts, says many individuals and
corporations in all parts OF the Bay
State have undertaken reforestation
either on their own initiative or with the
cooperation OF the State forester. They
are now planting about 1000 acres a
year. while the State under a recent
bond issue for the purchase of waste
land. Is planning 1000 acres year.
state Supplies the Trees.
II Is estimated that there are nearly
1 .000, 900 acres OF waste land In Massa-
cbusetts. The planting by the State is
ndone under the direction of the State
Forest Commission. created In 1916 with
power TO acquire wild and waste Ian Is
for the purpose Of converting them into
state forests. They are turned over to
the state forester for planting and man.
agement The young trees are supplied
by the state forester's nursery at Am
herst. Private forestry companies are
81, inging up and are looking forward to
big financial return.
The new forestry taxation law has
proved a great convenience and en-