too late. Wisconsin’s virgin forests were no more, and the question became one of whether anything could be done to preserve some semblance of its former majesty.The Move Into Forest Conservation The call for forest conservation was not something new to Wisconsin in the early twentieth century. There had long been a minority of those who recognized what the future held for the forests of Wisconsin. These critics pointed out that the practices of the lumber industry were highly destructive and unhealthy for the environment. However, it was not until major tragedies began to repeat themselves, in the form of devastating fires that were directly connected to lumbering practices, that public demand began to shift towards change. And as Quaife points out, “these feelings were translated into legislative action in 1867 by the appointment of a committee to inquire into the methods of logging, the supply of forest products, the effects of clearing the lands, and the destructiveness of forest fires.” The committee did point out many abuses and dangers that lie ahead alongside of urging for immediate change. However, nothing was done and the lumbering industry remained uncaring towards their wasteful and dangerous practices. This inaction would prove to be a fatal mistake for many towns and people as they were lost to fires in the following decades, not to mention the damage to the forest lands themselves. For a better understanding, once again one must look towards the practices of the lumber industry. This is because that while the forests were being leveled and the lumber taken to market, the loggers left behind them an untold amount of debris and “unworthy” tress that were a tinderbox awaiting its chance to start aflame and devastate the land. In addition, the taking of such vast amounts of forestland led to severe climactic and environmental changes. As one can surmise, without the fore...
