of following the forest regulations of piling and burn- 

 ing the brush, they leave the slashings lying around 

 so that whenever a fire gets started the dry stuff 

 burns with such force that it often burns not only 

 the slashings but also the good timber that has never 

 been logged. 



The old method of cutting out the best timber and 

 leaving the slashings among the young growth has 

 done more toward destroying our forests than almost 

 anything else, on account of the fires which get start- 

 ed sooner or later in the dried brush. 



Forests also tend to regulate the water supply. With 

 the trees all cut and not much left to absorb the 

 moisture, the water runs away at once washing the 

 hillsides to the clay and rocks on which nothing will 

 grow, and raising the water in creeks and rivers, 

 causing floods in the lowlands, often with great loss 

 of life and property. 



With trees at the head of these creeks and rivers 

 the water soaks away slowly keeping an average flow 

 in the water course, except in spring when the frost 

 is still in the ground. Then the washing of the earth 

 is not so great. 



If trees are not planted and the young growth pro- 

 tected, lumber industries will soon be a thing of the 

 past, thus throwing thousands out of work and raising 

 the price of lumber until it would become a luxury 

 instead of a necessity as it is at present and seemingly 

 always must be. 



In our town and surrounding towns the main fuel is 

 wood. The burning of coal instead of wood would 



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