1908 



NEWS AND NOTES 



23 



to 65 per cent. A liberal estimate 

 gives the remaining stand of hard- 

 woods of the country at 400 billion 

 feet, enough to last only sixteen years. 

 The report then points out that it is 

 the Appalachian region, where 75,000,- 

 000 acres are primarily adapted to the 

 production of hardwood timber, to 

 which the hardwood-using industries 

 must look for future supplies. It 

 shows also that under right manage- 

 ment these 75,000,000 acres can pro- 

 duce each year three billion cubic feet 

 of wood, about equal to the present 

 consumption of hardwood timber for 

 all purposes. If the Appalachians are 

 taken soon enough, the Secretary 

 points out, and are rightly handled, 

 they can be made to produce continu- 

 ously three-fourths of the hardwood 

 supply of the country, and this with- 

 out exhausting the forests, but, in fact, 

 improving them. 



Concerning water power, the re- 

 port brings out some entirely new 

 facts. Based on the lowest two weeks 

 in the year, it states that under present 

 conditions the streams of the Southern 

 Appalachians afford a minimum of 2,- 

 740,000 horse power. Development of 

 the storage facilities of streams would 

 increase this from three to thirty times. 

 At least fifty per cent of the minimum 

 horse power is available for economic 

 development. On this basis, the re- 

 port says, the rental of 1,350,000 horse 

 power at $20 per annum is worth $27,- 

 000,000 per year. In the same way, if 

 there is added the possible revenue 

 from the fifty per cent of power which 

 is present for only half the year, the 

 total is brought to $38,000,000. After 

 pointing out what a tremendous fac- 

 tor this vast water power is in the fu- 

 ture industrial development of the 

 United States and how much New 

 England depends upon the power giv- 

 en by the streams which rise in the 

 White Mountains, Secretary Wilson 

 goes on to show what a vital relation 

 the forest bears to successful utiliza- 

 tion of water power and artificial stor- 

 age. He shows that no matter what 

 the purpose or design, any reservoir 



system developed in the Southern Ap- 

 palachians is foredoomed to failure 

 unless the watersheds which feed it 

 are kept under forest. If the forest is 

 removed, vast accumulations of silt 

 and gravel will be carried down to the 

 reservoirs and render them worthless. 

 Moreover, the floods in many of the 

 streams are due to the extent to 

 which the forest has been cut away or 

 burnt, and if the reckless cutting and 

 carelessness with regard to fire con- 

 tinues, most of the great water power 

 now available will be lost. 



The Appalachian Mountains are also 

 important to navigation, since all the 

 water gathered by them flows to the 

 sea in navigable rivers. The forest is 

 the one natural factor which tends to 

 equalize the flow of streams, and 

 with the forest supplemented by a sys- 

 tem of reservoirs the depth of many 

 streams could be materially increased. 

 With thirty-five per cent of the Mo- 

 nongahela water subject to storage, 

 the flood damage at Pittsburg and 

 Wheeling would be almost eliminated. 

 With the minimum stage of the Ohio 

 at Wheeling increased by three feet, 

 the coveted stage between Pittsburg 

 and Cincinnati would all but be se- 

 cured. As the report points out, how- 

 ever, this will never be accomplished 

 unless steps are taken to preserve the 

 forest cover of the watersheds and so 

 prevent the filling up of both reser- 

 voirs and streams with sand and silt 

 washed from the mountain sides. 



The report shows graphically the 

 condition of the two regions to-day, 

 the slopes stripped of their forest cov- 

 er, the resulting erosion of the soil, 

 the danger to agricultural lands and 

 waterways, and the total destruction 

 of scenic beauty, a large asset in many 

 sections. Although only a very small 

 portion of the 75,000,000 acres of for- 

 est land is recommended for acqui- 

 sition by the Government, the report 

 suggests a plan whereby, with the aid 

 of the several States and the co-oper- 

 ation of private owners, proper man- 

 agement of most of the forest land 

 might be secured. The creation of 



