When this street in McAlester was paved in 1916, the city saved this pine tree and built a fence around it
English: When this street in McAlester, Oklahoma was paved, this pine tree was saved and a wire fence built around it. Title: American forestry Identifier: americanforestry221916amer Year: 1910-1923 (1910s) Authors: American Forestry Association Subjects: Forests and forestry Publisher: Washington, D. C. : American Forestry Association Contributing Library: The LuEsther T Mertz Library, the New York Botanical Garden Digitizing Sponsor: The LuEsther T Mertz Library, the New York Botanical Garden View Book Page: Book Viewer About This Book: Catalog Entry View All Images: All Images From Book Click here to view book online to see this illustration in context in a browseable online version of this book. Text Appearing Before Image: 658 AMERICAN FORESTRY finest and most lovely wild flowers. A great many species thrive very well under the conditions just named. Let us continue to bring wild flowers into our homes, for study as well as for the refining efifect they never fail to have; but let us, too, in every way we can, discourage the wanton picking of them, especially the fatal practice of pulling them up by the roots. PHILIPPINE ISLAND TIMBER By Arthur F. Fischer, Bureau of Forestry, Manila Ar <lifferent times in the past there have ap- peared in the various lumber journals of the United ' States articles to the eft'ect that certain people claim or intimate ownership of large timber concessions in the Philippine Islands. As a matter of fact, about ninety-nine per cent of the standing timber of the Philip- pines is on public land and under the direct control of the Government. Extensive private timber holdings, such as are found in the United States, are unknown there; in fact, there is no inducement for any individual or companv to attain such timber holdings under the present svstem of Government management of the timber lands. The Government develops the pubhc forests under the license system, such licenses being granted for one year or for twenty years usually, the latter being the twenty-year exclusive license agreements, or concessions, as they are popularly known. All the larger lumber companies of the Islands are operating under exclusive license agree- ments and under such the company has the exclusive title (with the exception of the free use privilege) to the tim- ber on the tract. The system means that if a prospective company shows sufficient good faith a concession is granted to the company, after the necessary advertising, etc., without the company having invested a cent in the timber. At no time has the company any money tied up in the standing timber, as the Government charges are onlv collected on the timber after it is cut. The enormous advantage of this system over private ownership is readily seen when it is realized that the money ordinarily tied up in standing timber can be invested in the logging and milling operations, while the company still has exclusive and full title to the standing timber, making it about as desirable as if the company owned it outright. Details as to the obtaining of tracts of timber, location and areas of present tracts ready for development, capital required, and any other information along this line will be gladly furnished by the P)Ureau of Forestrv at Manila to interested parties upon their request. BOOKS FREE TO MEMBERS An unusual opportunity to acquire some tree, bird and flower books free of charge is offered in a special announcement in the front of the magazine. These books are by experts on the several subjects and are not only desirable in any library, but of service in giving ad- vice and instruction which will save the reader expense. McALESTER'S LONE PINE MII'X the street was paved in front of the Busby licjtel at McAlester, Oklahoma, someone with a kindly feeling for trees saw to it that this pine was spared. The tree stands in the middle of a wide street with ample roadway on either side and it is protected by a cement curbing and a wire fence stretched on iron posts. w Text Appearing After Image: A TOWN SAVES A PINE TREE This stands protected by a high wire fence in the middle of one of the main streets of McAlester, Oklahoma. There are thousands and thousands of more symmetrical pines in the forests that come to the very edge of this picturesque hill town in eastern Oklahoma, but this scrag- ged veteran of the woods had prior rights that were respected. He was there among his own kind long before the foot of white man tramped over the McAlester ranch; he was there before the Choctaws came over from Missis- sippi under treaty with Uncle Sam. Nobody knows just how long he has been on that spot, watching the axeman strike down his fellows one by one. He saw the brick and stone buildings go up on Choctaw Avenue, at the foot of the hill, and when workmen broke ground for the hotel on the very street over which he was keeping his lonely watch he thought his time had come. When they began to la_\- brick on the kindh- turf at his feet he gave up hope. Suddenly he noted something unusual right down below his branches. A workman chalked oft' a ring and set a 1)arrier of artificial stone against the paving that eft'ectively kept his enemies at bay. .\nd so he stands today a lone sentinel, a reminder of time forever gone, a refuge for birds, casting a slanting shadow to momentarily bless the passing wayfarer. 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