THE MINING INDUSTRY AND THE 



FORESTS* 



Great Need of Proper Forest Utilization if 

 Miners are to have Undisturbed Prosperity 



BY 

 LEWIS E. AUBURY 



State Mineralogist of California 



nr HAT there is urgent need for more 

 * national and state legislation in 

 regard to the protection of our for- 

 ested areas, both from fire and the 

 operations of timber speculators, is a 

 subject which I believe is worthy the 

 attention of the American Mining 

 Congress. 



The general opinion seems to be that 

 the Government is looking to such pro- 

 tection, and that the individual need 

 not concern himself with matters 

 which our senators and representatives 

 are supposed to attend to. Now, I do 

 not wish to be understood as criticis- 

 ing the very efficient work of the pres- 

 ent Forest Service, nor the able efforts 

 expended by Mr. Gifford Pinchot to 

 protect our forests. To President 

 Roosevelt we owe more than to any 

 other chief executive for the carrying 

 out of beneficent forest reserve poli- 

 cies, but we must look to the future 

 when we may not have a Roosevelt 

 to direct, nor a Pinchot to carry out a 

 policy similar to the present one. 



The miners, as well as every class of 

 citizens who have the welfare of our 

 country at heart, are one and all agreed 

 that our forests must be protected. No 

 public movement of magnitude has 

 ever taken up the subject of forest 

 protection as it deserves ; and while 

 there may have been a few societies 

 interested in a way, passing resolu- 

 tions, etc., further than that the sub- 

 ject has not been pressed. 



Some may say we have our present 

 forest reserves, and that additional re- 

 serves are being created, and that 

 when permanent lines are drawn, de- 

 fining the reserves, the question will 



be settled. Do not be too certain in 

 that direction. J_et me remind you 

 that timber is becoming scarcer year 

 by year, and that the present available 

 supply, even including that in our 

 present forest reserves (which up to 

 July, 1906, occupied an area of 102,- 

 329,877 acres), will contain only suffi- 

 cient timber to last for another twen- 

 ty-five years, if the present wasteful 

 methods are continued. 



Then let us consider the number of 

 acres of government timber land out- 

 side of the reserves, now open to en- 

 try, and which also contain market- 

 able timber. Let me assure you that 

 this area is very limited. 



Then let us consider the amount of 

 timber land owned by corporations 

 and individuals west of the Mississippi 

 River. This area is very large, but 

 the number of owners is very small. 

 In fact, this large domain, involving 

 millions of acres, is owned or controlled 

 by about tzventy-five individuals or 

 corporations, commonly called "tim- 

 ber grabbers," who appear to have an 

 insatiable appetite for desirable tim- 

 ber land, their desires for possession 

 leading them to endeavor to secure 

 these lands by hook or crook, and more 

 often it is by "crook." 



No one has yet been able to ascer- 

 tain what the "capacity" of the timber 

 grabber really is, nor when or where 

 his depredations will cease. He never 

 sleeps, and while you are congratulat- 

 ing yourself that the timber you need 

 for mining purposes is perfectly safe 

 in the forest reserves, and can be 

 drawn on when required, he and his 

 allies are at work framing some meas- 



