South Bend news-times., 1922-11-06
INDIANA Is RAPIDLY
BECOMING TREELESS
State Forester Offers System
attic Plan to Offset Clear
ing of Timber.

ing OF imbeT.
INDIANA STATE CAPITOL. Nov.
s-Ind.aua woodlancs wiu disap-
pearand the state practically will be
treeicSs in fifteen years. IN the pres
snt rate Of timber consumption ard
land clearing continues. according
80 the annual repor. OF Charles a.
Dean. state forester 20 the state
conservation commits .ou.
The only way 90 prevent "a treeIess
indiana Sir Dean says is for the
sf',te 90 adopt "a -ysts matte plan for
refOrestati0n
Mr. DEAN calls attention 90 the
fact that ln 1917 there were 1.664.-
$50 acres OF woodland i'm this state.
while in 1920 the woodland area
had dwindied 20 1.387.24S acres The
average annual decrease in forest
lands. he says. is 92.456 acres. OF
the Z2.403.512 acres Of land in the
state, only a little more than per
cent OF the total acreage is N wood
lands
The CRY for more cleared land is
misleading" says Mr. Dean sta
tistics for 1919 show there were 12.-
1918 acres in crops and 1.O79,471
acres Of fallow land One-eighth OF
our cleared land that year was idle.
That same year a. per cent of clear
I'd land In Brown county. SO per
cent IN Monroe county % per cent
In Jennings county and 80 per cent
in Harrison county was idle. In Tip
ton county. less than one-half Of 1
per cent OF the land was unculti-
waited"
These statistics. according 20 Mr..
DEAN. have double significance, for
they show Indiana has more cleared
land than IS now famed and that
cleared land I'm the hill counties ia
not profitable for agriculture.
Declares Efforts have Failed.
In advocating the use of land in
the hill counties for growth Of tim
ber Mr.. Dean says:
The promise Of introducing for
age plants or Of teaching owners OF
his land better agriculture. has
failed During the world war their
condition improved considerably.
but the fall of farm product prices,
together with an increase In taxes
VIE increase mortsa ses and subse-
quent sales of much of this land
viii follow The land then will fall
into the hands Of nUuresidents and
be nsed strictly for speculation.
When such sOnditi0n arises the
land. as rule, Is abandoned and
grows mp 90 sasafrss, persimmon
prceuberries. etc. once this cOndi-
-ion is reached il viii take a century
before IL will again bc in condition
for reforestation except at great ex-
pensc. In short. Indiana should by
all means grow timber on land too
hiIy TO farm perpetually"
IL IS estimated the state has 1000
600 acres that could be more profi,-
ably invested if planted TO timber.
"A forest has bo,h a direct ano
an indirect value" says Mr.. DEAN.
Prairie states like iowa and Ne
braska early appreciated the indi-
rect value OF forests fin their effect
on climate conditions. Each already
has planted to- forests almost as
mulh b land as Indiana stiu has in
timber. In the agricultural part OF
this state 10 is believed each farm
should possess parcel of wood
land. no matter how valuable the
land. A farm 20 he complete should
have n woods. A rundown farm may
.e made 20 be profitable. but with
ont woods 10 lis like a home with
ou- a musical instrument or a libra
rv. You may get aIolg but complete
ness - lacking
Points out Great Values.
of
indirect values Of "a Forest. including
protection of buildipsa orchards and
cr0ps from violence CT winds. For
ests also protect stock from winds
and save much feed 20 maintain ne
cessary animal heat They help filter
air OF dust particles. prevent rain
fall from quick runof into the
streams. provide sanitary for econo-
mic birds such as weed seed eaters
and Of the insectivorous species. and
provide homes for Wild game and
fur hearing animals.
The direct value. be says. is the
wood and timber grown Every farm
er nseds fuel wood posts. poles,
proph and lumber. Production or
lumber az home will in a measure
help keSp down the price Of THEN
products yearly becoming higher be-
cause The supply Is more distant and
freight rates are excessive. Home
grown timber viii MI. DEAN says.
provide rGel and wueu cut i'm the
spare tIme o. winte.. save the eN-
uense OF coal. and iu the aggreEate
equals the prohtS of ten acres OF
wheat surplus from the woodlot.
when sold provide- a fair rate of i'm