THE WEEKS BILL 



297 



the headwaters, with the resulting diminution 

 in the natural storage capacity of the water- 

 shed, this impairment frequently being per- 

 manent because of the impossibility of refor- 

 estation owing to the destruction of essen- 

 tial elements of the soil by fire and its loss 

 by erosion ; therefore, be it 



Resolved, That it is the opinion of the 

 American Institute of Electrical Engineers 

 that the attention of the national and state 

 governments should be called to the impor- 

 tance of taking such immediate action as may 

 be necessary to protect the headwaters of 

 important streams from deforestation, and 

 to secure through the introduction of scien- 

 tific forestry and the elimination of forest 

 fires the protection of the timber supply. 



RESOLUTION OF THE AMERICAN SOCIETY OF CIVIL 

 ENGINEERS 



Wherbj\s the timber resources of this 

 country are being rapidly diminished, owing 

 to unscientific methods of forestry, to the 

 prevalence of forest fires, and to a wasteful 

 use of timber, resulting in a steady increase 

 in the cost of both hard and soft wood, and 

 which may result, moreover, in the diminu- 

 tion of the natural storage capacity of our 

 streams, and increasing irregularity of flow, 

 and consequent impairment in the value of 

 our water powers ; 



Resolved, That in the opinion of the board 

 of direction of the American Society of Civil 

 Engineers every endeavor should be made to 

 further the introduction of principles of sci- 

 entific forestry and the creation and preser- 

 vation of national and state forest preserves, 

 and in particular the board of direction ap- 

 proves and urges the passage by Congress 

 of a bill providing for national forest re- 

 serves in the Southern Appalachian and White 

 Mountains. 



In view, therefore, of the ahnost unan- 

 imous consensus of scientific thought, 

 coupled with the common-sense judg- 

 ment of practical men, your committee 

 feels warranted in accepting as funda- 

 mentally correct: 



1. That a forest cover is of great 

 vahie in retarding run-ofif, and in moun- 

 tain regions contributes more directly 

 and in a more beneficial manner to the 

 underground waters than any other 

 single agency. 



2. That a forested watershed exerts 

 an appreciable and beneficial influence 

 upon the run-off,, by maintaining longer 

 periods of average flow, thereby lessen- 

 ing tendencies both to low and high 

 water. 



3. That on sloping ground, and es- 

 pecially on the steeper and longer 



slopes, prevailing in mountain regions, 

 the forest is of first importance in pre- 

 venting soil erosion and consequent 

 silting of streams by the detritus from 

 such slopes, this detritus, when formed, 

 finally reaching, as is well established 

 and undisputed, the lower reaches of 

 streams, causing changes in river beds, 

 building up sandbars and other ob- 

 structions to navigation. 



rOREST DESTRUCTION IN SOUTHERN AND 

 EASTERN MOUNTAINS 



The testimony before the committee 

 is abundant and convincing to the ef- 

 fect that the destruction of forests in 

 the Southern Appalachians and White 

 Mountains is going on at an alarming 

 rate. Wasteful and unscientific lumber- 

 ing, followed by forest fires, the effort 

 to cultivate the land upon the steep 

 slopes of the mountains, are serving to 

 bring about a condition which, unless 

 checked, must inevitably result in the 

 exhaustion of the timber supply of the 

 south and east, the destruction of their 

 splendid water powers, and ultimately, 

 in a serious hindrance to the navigation 

 of our inland waterways. 



GENERAL CONCLUSION 



Your committee believes that there 

 is no more important bill before this 

 body than this which we here report. 

 It involves the agricultural, industrial, 

 and commercial future of the sections 

 to which it is most immediately di- 

 rected. Its favorable consideration is 

 urged by as large a number of organ- 

 izations, business, scientific, and civic, 

 as ever gave support to any proposi- 

 tion pending before us. Favor is asked 

 for it by the business interests of the 

 country which recognize that continu- 

 ance of industrial development for the 

 future must depend upon the conserva- 

 tion rather than upon the exploitation 

 of our natural resources. It is sup- 

 ported by a class of people whose 

 achievements make up the industrial 

 glory of the nation, and whose judg- 

 ment, therefore, is entitled to most se- 

 rious and patient consideration. 



