THE MISSION OF EUCALYPTUS 



By FLORENCE LILLIAN PIERCE, Secretary of the Forestry Society of California 



MAN'S ingenuity is wizard-like. A wise proceeding; but something 



It has conquered earth, water, must be done to obtain results for us 



and air. It has controlled war, as posterity's ancestors. The man who 



pestilence, and famine, yet the danger is putting money in the bank for future 



attending the rapid depletion and the use must have present sustenance. To 



foretold' future exhaustion of the for- conserve the forests for coming gen- 



ests has taxed more than the genius of erations, there must be an immediate 



man. It has almost challenged nature, timber supply to meet the present ex- 



The present outlook of the country isting demands. 



from a forestry standpoint is appalling. The frenzied question has been and 

 Civilization is steadily crowding into is, "How shall we fulfil the demand?" 

 the timber reserve ; commercialism is The answer has come from the far- 

 denuding the hillsides of shade, warmth, off island of Australia. In 1856 she 

 drainage, soil, and water supply, to ob- sent us missionaries destined to become 

 tain merchantable lumber ; and the of- the saviours of the nation, mission- 

 ficial reports calmly state that unless aries that are to have an unerring influ- 

 some means of prevention or cure is ence on the geological, geographical, 

 taken, the forests will be exhausted in agricultural, industrial, and climatic 

 the measurable future. conditions of the golden state the 

 The war debt can be paid, the gov- eucalyptus trees, of Australian parent- 

 ernment can levy a revenue to meet its age, the adopted trees of California, 

 expenses, but the forests have no means Missionaries there are who have been 

 of conserving themselves, no natural sent to far lands ; others have remained 

 method of sure, immediate, or rapid re- in the home field ; but who has heard 

 cuperation except through the assist- of their being imported into this coun- 

 ance of man. try? Yet it has been done, and re- 

 The forestry departments, national markable are the things which the etica- 

 and state, and the forestry societies, lyptus missionaries are to accomplish, 

 have done much to arouse the country and lasting are to be the results, for 

 to a realization of the approaching for- they bid fair to replace the trees that 

 estal crisis. The result has been a spurt have been slaughtered ; to become a 

 of economic forestry, so to speak. De- substitute for much of the timber in 

 nucled lands are being clothed with current commercial use ; to provide for 

 young trees ; ugly scars left by forest future needs of the present generation : 

 fires are being hidden by sapling foli- and to furnish forests for generations 

 age ; where there has not been shade of descendants. 



enough for a humming-bird, miniature With remarkable tenacity to life, 

 forests are waving ; and the farmer who these trees rush in and grow where 

 has a patch of trees, just for fuel, has other trees are helpless to root; are cut 

 grown conservative with his ax- down, and again reproduce from the 

 strokes. Yet alarming conditions have hacked stumps. And therein lies the 

 been little bettered for immediate real- wonderful secret of their remarkable 

 ization, because the time required for adaptability as a means of reforestation, 

 trees to mature to forestable age makes The second growth, contrary to the 

 the present planting practically noth- habit of other trees to weaken in sec- 

 ing but an impetus toward supplying ond production, furnishes a better qual- 

 woodlands for posterity. ity of wood than the first, and through 



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