The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1922-04-04
UNIVERSITY man
NAMED CHAIRMAN
DEAN MILLER HEADS IDAHO COM
MITTEE ON FOREST PROTECT
ION WEEK CAMPAIGN

Dean F. G. Miller of the University
of Idaho school of forestry has been
named chairman of the Idaho com
mittee in the campaign for national
Forest Protection Week, April 16 to
%. The university school of forestry,
cooperating with the United States
bureau of forestry and lumber inter
ests, will attempt to bring to the at
tention of Idaho citizens the import
ance of forest preservation.
Other members of the committee
are w. D. Humiston of the Potlatch
Lumber company; Harry Z. Shell
worth, Boise-Payette Lumber COM
pany; c. K. McHarg, U. S. forest ser
vice; and Ben e. Bush, assistant
state land commissioner
Lumber Industry Important
About two-fifths of the area of Ida
no, or approximately 23,000,000 acres,
is forested, and the lumber industry
ranks second only to agriculture.
DR.. Henry Schmitz will head a spec
1al committee appointed to handle an
educational campaign in the state
high schools. The protection week
program, according to committee
plans, will be effected through civic
and commercial organizations, schools
and churches.
Sends Out Letters
G. Edward Behre of the forestry
school, chairman of the speakers
bureau for the Idaho committee, is
sending out over the state letter on
forest protection, portions of which
follow:
"The week of April 1922 has been
designated as Forest Protection week
and special effort will be made
throughout the country to bring home
to the public during this week the
fundamental Importance to the eco
nomic welfare of every community of
the prevention of the destruction of
our forests by fire. Governor D. w.
Davis has issued proclamation re
questing the cooperation of the citi-
zens of Idaho in this campaign.
Dependence of All on Forests
"The dependence of citizens in
every walk of life upon the forests or
the products of the forests in one
form or another can hardly be over
estimated. Next to agriculture, the
forest industries rank first in com
munity dependence and in this west
ern country even agriculture is in a
large measure dependent upon the
forests; because the effectiveness of
the waters used in irrigation is re-
lated to the presence of forests upon
the headwaters of the streams.
'The national importance of the
conservation of our forests is becom-
ing matter of general knowledge,
but the average citizen fails to see
his personal responsibility in the mat
ter. Tt is this personal responsibility
of every citizen which Forest Pro-
lection Week aims to emphasize, for
brv hO5t af,,I
woods and doing all in our power to
prevent forest fires and extinguish
or report any which we may discover,
we can all help materially to promote
the prosperity of our country and
state.
23,000.000 Acres Forested
"a few figures will serve to empha-
size the importance of this matter in
the state of Idaho. More than two
fifths of this state, or approximately
%, 100000 acres are forested The
lumber industry ranks second only to
agriculture as the chief source of
prosperity to the state. 1t employs so
per cent of the entire industrial popu
lation of the state. The lumber in
dustry represents an invested capital
of $50,OO0,000 and pays $923,000 in
taxes each year The lumber pro-
QuceU III uIllS SIdJe was approximately
1 1,O00,000000 board feet in 1920, and
in addition to this the forests are sup
plying large quantities of other ma
teria1 as poles. posts, pulp and fuel
wood. The value of the product each
year is mere than 100000 900. For
each thousand feet of lumber pro-
duced, approximately SIS is paid to
the people of the state in wages and
salaries and S4a0 more for eupplies,
or a total of s22 100000 per year
"Ahout three-fourths of all the for
est fires in this state are man caused
and therefore rreventable. Unex-
tinguished camp fires, cigarettes and
matches. and careless brush burning
are among the more important causes.
The II. S. forest service, the state and
the timber owners are spending from
/ TO cents per acre per year for the
protection of forest lands and much
greater amounts are represented in
the costs of fire fighting and value of
the resources destroyed, but no
amount of money expended for pro-
tective organizations will really he eff
fective unless every citizen cooper
ates wholehearted1y in seeing that no
fires originate through his careless
ness or Ignorance !"