Show TH THE E or OP UTAH r PERHAPS no one natural factor enters more deeply into determining the real productive capability of a country or portion of country than does its forestry Upon the number of forests and the amount of smaller vegetation depends the water Vater supply the fertility of the land to a great extent and the beauty of the country The groves of pine and maple trees upon the mountains and in the heads of the canyons prevent the rays of the sun from striking the earth directly protecting the snow which otherwise would melt and run down the side hills early in the spring to swell the streams and retaining it to be dealt out gradually during the summer Besides retarding the melting of snow the trees in in the theo o valleys furnish shade for the comfort of f man on hot summer days making him ha happy py by giving him a healthful and beautiful place in which to live The leaves and other debris being excellent fertilizers increase the richness of the soil Forests make fertile many parts that otherwise would be comparatively barren by obstructing warm winds saturated wi with th moisture the cool at atmosphere atmosphere atmosphere at- at about the leaves of the trees causes the precipitation of rain The climate also is made uniform healthful and agreeable through the influence of R vegetation ry 1 1 f Heretofore comparatively little ati attention attention at- at i has been paid to the protection of the forestry of Utah The hillsides and ind canyons once covered with a heavy gro growth th of pine cottonwood and maple now present an almost barren appearance appearance appear appear- ance and th the effect upon the productive capabilities of many parts of the state is beginning to befell The people have stood by and calmly watched destruction c o f J o in various forms slowly but surely accomplish accomplish accomplish ac ac- its disastrous results upon the vegetation and have even aided it a at t times in its fatal atal work Some parts of the state formerly well timbered well Va watered and beautiful have been c- c brought by various destructive in influences influences influences in- in to an uninviting and almost almos 4 worthless condition other otner parts now of but little value could be rendered productive productive productive pro pro- were more attention paid to the establishing and protecting of forests in those localities Suppose for instance that trees should be planted in the mountains surrounding the dry and desert like parts of Utah it would not be bevery bevery bevery very long before the same deserts would be capable of cultivation through the influence of the trees alone upon the water supply Of course it is hardly Ii I probable that much of the Great American Ameri Ameri- can Desert could be brought under cultivation cultivation because the soil is of such a H quality that the trees themselves will not grow there and besides since no water can be obtained from any any- other source the amount that would be retained retained re re- taine 1 by the forest would be insufficient insufficient insufficient I to last during the entire summer Most 1 of the higher forms of plant life 1 in Utah have been destroyed by the people th themselves Saw-mills Saw have been placed in the hearts of the forests and andall andall all the trees for miles around that 1 1 ro could be used have been converted into lum lumber ber Hundreds of cords of wood mostly dry however have been taken from the canyons every year and have either been sold or consumed by the people in the winter vin er time Instead of injuring the growth of forests this V would have been a benefit had had the k i wood been confined to to- that which was 5 1 not growing as the number of forest j 0 0 0 o fires every year would have been di dif di- di f t h In the mountainous regions where the t trees have been killed floods and snow- snow slides are not uncommon The snow lY accumulated during the winter is exposed exposed ex ex- posed directly to the heat of the sun and is melted in a very short time r forming large streams which dash down the canyons carrying WI with th them everything everything everything every every- thing that is in their paths and doing dOIngt t great damage to the farms below Much of the small vegetation not f. f F. F f destroyed by the hand of man or by r floods and fires has been either eaten up or trodden into the ground by herds t of cattle and sheep f It is plain that if influences destructive destructive 5 tive to to vegetation be allowed to continue continue con con- f. f as they have been permitted to exist in the past it will not be long j. j until Utah will cease to call can herself proudly II The Queen of the West IF Her agriculture the most stable and f reliable pursuit of the state will be so impaired that instead of exporting many articles she will raise scar scarcely ely enough f for her own consumption t That vegetation may be replenished t and Utah brought into the same con condition condition condi condi- i- i tion with respect to her forests as ast t when first settled care should be taken to plant such trees in the mountains as aswill y will withstand the winds and blasts of y winter Good examples of such trees are the pine the cottonwood and the thet t quaking asp they are large and very hardy and their branches are long k enough and compact enough that a great amount of snow may be supported and protected by them Such trees as the poplar Balm of r i- i Gilead and box elder should line the r roads in the valleys They are less hardy than those mentioned above but butare butare butare are valuable for their sha shade e and orna orna- As kinds many of fruit as the climate will allow should be raised because the trees are are not only shady and ornamental but are useful in furnishing the most healthful foods 1 The que question tion is who shall see to the establishment of these forests and ho hois how howl d dis is it to be done The greatest response responsibility 1 should rest upon the people o of Utah as a body since they are the ones ones who have caused the death of vegetation and who are to feel the effects of that death They should take an active in interest interest j in-j terest in this m matter land and spend Arbor Arborday Arborday Arborday day in the planting of trees in the canyons and other places The legis legislature legislature 1 lature might perform an important part by eo enacting acting laws protecting the vegetation vegetation tion already growing it should provide provid for at least two Arbor days and require the proper observance of them by closing closing closing clos clos- ing the public schools on those days In this way a greater interest might be aroused among the people to make their their 1 3 state more pro productive d' d by b. b y increasing its forests M. 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