Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-01-28

~ interest following closely the an
nual meeting of the Maine Forestry
Association, held the attention Of all
and was followed by hearty applause.
Mr.. Dana's subject was Forestry
in Maine and he spoke in part as
follows:
How many residents of Maine real
ize that its forests cover an area
greater than the combined forest
areas of Italy and Greece, and more
than 10 times as large as the total
forest area of Belgium? 1t is sig
nificant fact that after three centur-
les of agricultural and industrial de-
velopnent the forests of this State
still cover approximately three
fourths of it's totarare We are apt
to think OF the Scandinavian coun-
tries as being densely forested. yet
Norway has onlye21 per cent. Of its
total area in forests. Sweden 81 per
cent. and Finland 81 per cent, as
against our Is per cent.
The products of the forests sup
port over 1900 individual plants in
the State which use wood az their
chief raw amterial. More pulp for
the production of newspapers il
manufactured in Maine than in any
other State. Forest products in one
form or another enter into the daily
life of every individual and every
business. Even on farms woodlot
products have an annual value Of
nearly 100000 and rank third in
value among farm crops, being ex-
eeeded only by hay and forage and by
potatoes. We often think of Maine
as a great apple State, yet the value
of woodlot products is nearly twice
that Of all fruits.
These facts make It obvious that
the future prosperity Of the State de-
pends largely on the way in which
its forests are handled. If they are
treated as mine to be neglected or
abandoned after the removal Of the
merchantable timber the State will
be impoverished; while if they are
handled as a crop to be renewed after
each cutting. and to be managed on
a sustained yield basis, the State will
be correspondence enriched. This re-
suit can be attained only through CO.
operation between the people Of the
owners of forest lands.
Fire protection is the first and all
important step as a basis for i'm
proved forest management Within
the forestry district we now have
some 60 fire lookout towers, and a
fairly adequate force of chief war
dens, deputy wardens, patrolmen and
lookout men. In the four and half
million acres outside Of the forestry
district, we have only four lookout
stations, with two more to be erect
ed this spring, and no provision for
thorough going organization of this
part of the State, or for the most eff
fective cooperation between the State
and town authorities. It is highly
important that the protective sys-
tom in this part of the State should
be strengthened, and I believe that
the State as whole should also par
ticipate in the protection of forests
within the forestry district, which is
not now the case.
The unusual drought of the past
year gave the present fire protective
system severe test. While losses
were heavy. amounting to $3.50
acEes burned over, with damage of
S917,000, they were relatively light
as compared with 1911, 1908 and
1903, when $4,000 acres, $4,000
acres and 100000 acres respectively
were burned over. Moreover, it is
generally agreed that while these
years were dry, conditions on the
whole were not so bad as during
1921.
Protection against forest insects
and tree diseases is another import
ant phase of forestry, as are also i'm
proved methods of cutting, refores-
tation of denudcd areas, and the
more efficient utilization of forest
products. In my Judgment. the &C
QUESTION of State forests which could
be used for demonstration and eX-
perimental purposes would exert a
stabilizing influence on the handling
of other forest lands and would prove
paying investment. Rapid pro-
Get THIS QUIT IS WORTH MONEY