美国大平原开发与1873年《植树法》的兴废  

The Great Plains Development and the Enactment and Abolition of Timber Culture Act of 1873

作　　者：李鸿美[1,2] Li Hongmei

机构地区：[1]南开大学世界近现代史研究中心 [2]曲阜师范大学历史文化学院

出　　处：《世界历史》2019年第3期33-43,I0003,共12页World History

基　　金：山东省社会科学规划研究项目“生态殖民主义与英帝国森林政策研究”(项目编号:17DSSJ03)的阶段性成果

摘　　要：大平原地区一度被称之为“美洲大沙漠”,19世纪中叶随着农业边疆的不断拓展,乐观主义造雨理论相继涌现。其中,“雨随树至”假说得到了美国科学家和政府官员的大力推崇。受其影响,1873年美国国会通过了《植树法》,以赠予土地的方式鼓励大平原地区的树木种植。然而,由于《植树法》的推动者罔顾大平原地区客观的环境现实,试图将东部湿润地带的生态系统强加于大平原地区,导致法令的实施步履维艰。“雨随树至”假说受到越来越多的挑战,树木种植并未改变大平原地区的干旱气候,《植树法》的实施还引发了严重的土地投机行为。对此,美国国会虽多次进行修订却依然于事无补,最终于1891年废除了该法。美国人通过植树欲改变大平原地区干旱气候的梦想亦随之破灭。这说明,大平原地区的草原生态群落有其自身独特的生态价值,人类必须学会尊重并适应当地的生态系统,才能实现人与自然的和谐相处。The Great Plains was once called‘the Great American Desert’.With the advancement of the agricultural frontier in the mid-19 th century,the optimisic rainmaking theories sprang up successively.The hypothesis of‘rain follows trees’was accepted and promoted by the American scientists and government officials.With the influence of this hypothesis,the United States Congress passed Timber Culture Act in 1873 which granted lands to settlers in order to encourage the culture of timber in the Great Plains.However,the boosters of this Act ignored the objective environmental realities of the Great Plains and attempted to impose the ecosystem of the eastern moisture regions on the Great Plains.This resulted in the difficulties in implementing the Act.The above hypothesis was challenged increasingly,the culture of timber did not change the arid climate of the Great Plains and the implementation of the Act led to serious land speculation.Despite the Act was revised by the Congress for many times,it was ultimately abolished in 1891.The American dream of changing the arid climate of the Great Plains by afforestation subsequently came to an end.The grassland ecological community in the Great Plains has its own unique ecological value and the human beings must learn to respect and adapt to the local ecological system so as to achieve harmony between man and nature.

关 键 词：美国环境史 植树法 雨随树至 大平原地区 农业边疆 

分 类 号：K712.4[历史地理—历史学] D909.9[历史地理—世界史]