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Congressional speech for forest reserve

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  • 13 his letters the words: "Plant a tree." No better advice could be given. The Department of Agriculture has for years been doing all in its power to induce private owners both to preserve their forests and to renew them by forest tree planting. " The private forest lands exceed in area those of the States and the United States combined, and their preservation in productive condition, as regards both the timber and water supply, is of vast importance to the nation." The object of the Department is to show that improved ways of handling timber are best for the owners from a pecuniary standpoint, as well as for the forest, and the Secretary, upon application to him, will, after examination of the land if it be from 5 acres up, prepare a plan for the purpose of promoting and increasing its present value and usefulness to its owner and to develop and perpetuate forests upon it; and all without cost to the owner. Irealize, Mr. Chairman, that this is a stupendous project, and to many persons a startling one, but I never was better satisfied that it was our duty to act and to act quickly. While great damage has already been done, yet it is as nothing compared to what will soon take place if some remedy be not applied. The experience of other countries teaches us that it must be done at some time, and that if longer delayed it will only entail enormous additional expense. The Senate report says: As illustrating the necessity for such action as is now proposed, attention may be called to the fact that in every civilized country it has been found absolutely necessary to preserve the forests on mountain slopes, and especially is this true in more southern latitudes. Everywhere it has been found vastly cheaper to preserve existing forests on these mountains than to reforest such regions after the former forests have been once destroyed. In Italy it was found that destroying the mountain forests had produced excessive floods, and the Government is now restoring them at an estimated cost of $24 per acre. In France the same destruction occurred, and with the same inevitable result, and the restoration of the forests now in progress will.it is estimated, cost no less than $30 per acre. Unfortunately for those countries the remedy was postponed too long, a postponement that will cost Italy $12,000,000 and France no less than $40,000,000. In our own country the State of New York is now paying a similar penalty. That State years ago sold, or allowed to be sold, the 5266
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