Omaha daily bee., 1922-05-07
Destruction Of Forest Trees
Thosshtlessnsss or csssisssasss That
Cost Lie and Beauty OF Growth.

One day during the week The Bee published
picture Of how the bark ei . tree had been
msFed by the carving OF initials on H. II Was
brought 20 the editors attention by woman
who Is intensely Interested Ia tree culture, aud
Who expressed the pain 4 gives her 10 note q
hhe tree so Scared, OF course. those who cut
the bark do 30 with no though, OF niufing the
tree. but the harm Is done. nevertheless, and is
quite as huFiiul as u u were Intentionally ae-
eomblished
During the week letter Was received from
the forester M charge OF the work IN this fee ion
Mf. A. ), Peek, whose headquarters Is Al Den-
uf. lie asks that certain matters be brought 10
The attention OF the school children Of the state.
urging that they be taught sonic OF the simple
truths about our vanishing forests. lie writes
u was very glad 10 see the pictures oi tho
planting aud nursery operations on the Nebraska
National Forest Ia the roiogfavufe section of
The Bee on April y. ! have been informed iha.
a number OF good articles on the planting on the
Nebraska forest. as well a. OH tree planting IN
general. have appeared IN your paper recently;
also that the Nebraska State Forestry assoeia.
tion. under your leadership, Is urging that school
children be taught some OF the simple truths
about tree planting and about our vanishing for.
es's ] desire 10 congratulate you on the good
work The Bee is doing along this line and OF
what you arc accomplishing personally through
the state association.
Tho importance Of teaching children abou,
caring for trees was illustrated by an ineiden,
reported by Forest Examiner Johnson OF this
office. who was At the North Platte fNeb) es-
pertinent station on Arbor day A high wind
and dust storm prevailed all day. bu, despite
this Sunday school teacher and her flock had
come TO the station grounds for a picnic. A
large number OF trees have been planted AZ the
station by the state university IN cooperation
with the United States forest service. Among
these trees were considerable number OF ever
greens planted on an exposed ridge. where condi-
tons Tor tree growth are not very favorable. but
those which have survived arc beginning TO
change the appearance OF the landscape.
"'fhc children found these trees and each
proceeded TO cut off or pull out a tree, with the
idea Of taking them home aud planting Eighteen
trees from one 10 four feet in height were thus
destroyed. for OF course the children did not pro-
tect the roots and the trees dried out in few
minutes. Neither the children nor their teacher
had been taught the lesson OF respecting private
property. and although their intentions were good
their Arbor day efforts were misdirected and
eighteen trees were destroyed instead OF being
planted. These points were explained 10 the
children so that they would understand that it
was wrong TO take other peoples trees, that the
roots OF tree are as delicate as baby and that
in a region like western Nebraska where there
are so few trees there is no particular gain in
pulling them up from one place and moving to
another. Trees should be secured from nurseries
and planted.
superintendent Snyder Of the experiment
station plans to take up this matter with the
superintendent OF schools at North Platte and
request that little time be devoted to nature
study and tree planting in the public schools
He also expects to make a window exhibit oi
the trees in one of the stores with an appropriate
poster, so that possibly the incident may result
in some good after all
~ have described this incident at length as
!. occurred to me that the State Forestry asso-
ciation might be able TO make some use Of it for
educational purposes"
II is well to remember that "any fool may
write poem, but only God can make tree"