THE NEW LOUISIANA FORESTRY LAW 



479 



of the lower slopes only by their greater moisture 

 and shade. These burned areas, devoid of vegetable 

 humus, of decaying logs and other natural obstruc- 

 tions, presented practically no obstacle to the immediate 

 precipitation of the foot or more of water falling 

 upon them, in an 

 overwhelming 

 deluge upon the 

 better protected 

 slopes beneath, 

 ruining these 

 natural defenses 

 of leaf litter, 

 logs and brush, 

 o V e r w h e 1 m i n l; 

 them as, in an 

 irresistible 

 charge, the 

 trenches of an 

 enemy are 

 demolished. 



Had fire pro- 

 tection, extend- 

 ing through a 

 period of two 



had escaped from the soil into the streams, the high flood 

 crests would have been reduced, less sediment carried, 

 less land washed away and the damage greatly reduced. 

 None can prove that the forest cover on these mountains 

 has any permanent efifect either upon the amount or distri- 

 bution of rain- 

 fall , but he 

 would be blind 

 i n (1 c e d who 

 could study the 

 conditions on the 

 ground and fail 

 to realize that 

 the forest cover, 

 protected from 

 fire, is the only 

 means of saving 

 the river valleys 

 from utter de- 

 struction. That 

 this destruction 

 occurred was in 

 spite of the for- 

 est and because 



IRON GIRDERS CARRIED AWAY BY FLOOD O^ 'tS neglected 



or three decades. The force of the rushing waters was so great that these heavy iron girders were washed two hundred and fifty feet COUdltioU. 1 he 

 down the bank of the north branch of the Catawba River from a bridge which was overthrown. 



restored the 

 spongy soil cover to these high slopes, which is so charac- 

 teristic of northern spruce forests, the furious rush of 

 water into the streams would have been retarded and the 

 flow distributed. Even if eventually just as much water 



entire episode 

 forms a striking argument for the rapid completion of the 

 purchase by the National Government of as much land as 

 possible in these high mountains and the establishment of 

 rigid fire protection thereon. 



THE NEW LOUISIANA FORESTRY LAW 



THE full text of this forestry amendment to the 

 Conservation Law of Louisiana was received too 

 late for publication in our last issue. It reads 

 as follows : 



" Sec. 8. That one-fifth of all licenses herein collected 

 from the severance of timber and turpentine shall be 

 accredited to the forestry department of the Department 

 of Conservation and shall be expended upon the warrant 

 of the Commissioner of Conservation in the execution 

 of the forestry laws and for such purposes only; provided 

 that such forestry department under the general direction 

 of the Commissioner of Conservation shall be superin- 

 tended by a technically trained forester of not less than 

 two years' experience in professional forestry work : pro- 

 vided, further, that no expenditure proposed hereinunder 

 in executing said forestry laws by said Commissioner of 

 Conservation shall be made except on the approval of a 

 general forestry Advisory Board which is hereby created 

 and which shall consist of four members to be appointed 

 by the governor, and of the Commissioner of Conser- 

 vation, who shall be ex-officio member and chainnan. 



Said membership shall be chosen, two from well-known 

 timber owners, one from farmland owners interested in 

 farmland reforestation, and the Professor of Forestry 

 in the State University. The said Forestry Advisory 

 Board shall meet quarterly at the domicile of the Con- 

 servation Commission, and not oftener except upon the 

 call of the chairman, and shall have no salary compensation 

 or per diem, but shall have actual traveling expenses for 

 attendance upon such meetings." 



It is estimated that the revenue from the license tax 

 on timber and turpentine alone, under the new law, should 

 approximate $100,000 annually, which would make avail- 

 able about $20,000 for the work of the state forester. 



American Forestry called attention to the need for 

 this amendment of the Louisiana Law and reorganization 

 of the work, in an editorial published in May of this 

 year. The immediate response of public sentiment and 

 securing of the law is a striking proof of the fact that 

 Louisiana was in reality well abreast of the times in 

 general knowledge of and interest in forestry, and ready 

 to take this great forward step, which means so much to 

 the entire movement in the South. 



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