Show American Forest Week 0 0 By S S. S J. J Foster local chairman son w When hen u it the c p Pilgrims Sms landed in America they found approximately sou million acres of forested land the largest and most valuable timber timber tracts in in the world Because e of its abundance it was little appreciated In fact the forest although furnishing fuel and material material material ma- ma for their homes was looked upon as being somewhat of a Hindrance The Thc early carly settler had to fo free the farms of timber trees were cleared to make roads and the woods harbored predatory predator animals animal which preyed upon domestic stock The original American Ameri Ameri- can idea I to our forests was w was s therefore not one of protection protection pro pro- teet ion and conservation Why should it have been otherwise the amount was so great it appeared t that at the supply would last forever fore u This same idea was carried throughout the earl early lumbering opera operations lions The ine wonderful white pine stands in the Lake States Stated were ere the first to be plundered Only the choicest cuts of the best trees were taken Tops were left where they fell and no thought t was as given to protection or renewal Fires followed the heels of mill operations burning the trees and reproduction left and in in addition often laid waste thousands of acres of virgin timber The abuse was too great and the lumber industry was forced into new newfield newfields fields down fields field down south among among the southern History repeated repeated repeated re re- itself here and the major operations were vere then shifted to the pacific southwest Before many years passed the tha big mills found that another move was necessary and they are now making making making mak mak- ing their final stand in the northwest Oregon Washington and north Idaho Thus we find ourselves with four-fifths four of all virgin timbered lands in the United States either cut over or burned only one- one fifth is left We Weare are a wood us using ng nation actually using two- two fifths of all the wood consumed in the world Our population is increasing and there is no substitute for wood it enters directly or indirectly into every commodity used by man Millions l of acres of potential forest lands are lying idle fires are destroying other millions Some reforestation is being practiced ed and through education the number of fires is being being- reduced but not fast enough As late as 1926 over fires were reported reported reported re re- ported and burned more than acres of forest lands destroying worth of timber Forest fires average an annual toll of 70 lives and the Go Government spends around per year ear to control forest fires 72 per cent of the fires ar are caused by man through his carelessness 12 per cent by lightning and 16 per cent unknown Figure up the saving that is possible if the forest visitor would only tie lie careful with his match cigarette cigarette cigarette ciga ciga- rette cigar and camp fire Reviewing the above aboe facts is it any wonder that the President of the United States has for the last eight years proclaimed April 22 to 28 as American Forest Week and urged every man woman and child throughout the nation to consider this appalling waste and to assist in iii bettering this condition When forests are misused through any c cause cause use be it fire logging operations or over-grazing over we all lose Saw mills become idle lumber prices increase The watershed is destroyed floods occur I with their damaging results to cities and farmers The stockman I loo looses es the much needed forage The sportsmens sportsmen's rod and gun become be be- come useless as the forest is the home of our wild life The I finds the fire scarred d vegetated an and eroded forest uninteresting Play square with the forest it is your yom friend be bea a friend to it 1 |