1050 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



bring in lumber and like products from outside sources. 

 New England is cutting every year for lumber and other 

 uses twice as much timber as is being grown there ; and 

 this affects a region which employs nearly 100,000 wage 

 earners and has about $300,000,000 invested in the wood 

 and forest industries. 



What is true of New England is true of nearly every 

 other part of the country. Wood is being cut without 

 provision for proper replacement of the old stock. In 

 cutting on private lands there is little regard for future 

 supply, although some owners and groups are endeavor- 

 ing to handle their lands constructively, but on the whole 

 destructive processes are permitted which retard or 

 actually prevent the succession of a good forest growth. 

 The welfare of the country, its future economic progress 

 and prosperity, demand that strict laws governing pro- 

 tection against fire and compelling proper cutting which 

 will conserve a future supply, be made to apply to the 

 private as well as to the public forest lands of the 

 United States. 



"There are certain things that the public should do, 

 and in a liberal spirit," declared Colonel Graves, at Bos- 

 ton, "to make forestry by private timberland owners 

 possible and effective. At the same time the public 

 should insist by adequate legislation that the destruc- 

 tive processes be stopped, and that methods be adopted 

 which will leave the forests in a productive condition. 

 To secure these ends there is necessary a broad program 

 that is practicable and equitable, based on consideration 

 of existing economic conditions." In his Chicago speech 

 the Chief Forester expressed the belief that along cer- 

 tain lines "the lumbermen are going as far as they can 

 to improve the internal situation." 



But there are certain big phases of the situation, he 

 went on to argue, which call for co-operation between all 

 interests concerned, between the national and the state 

 governments, the lumbermen and the public and existing 

 agencies, in order that the welfare of all may be con- 

 served. For the question of forest renewal which is the 

 backbone of the whole situation "is not only of interest 

 to the public," he says, "but it is of vital concern to tlie 

 owners of timberlands." 



There is need for prompt action, Col. Graves makes 

 clear. He declares that there is growing "public un- 

 easiness" and that "public demand for action is increas- 

 ingly insistent." Efforts of a local character, or which 

 do not deal with the problem in a big national way, will 

 not answer, he says. "Now is the time, therefore, to 

 bring about action in accordance with broad construc- 

 tive plans, rather than by piecemeal legislation by the 

 different States, uncorrelated with each other, and with 

 action of the Federal Government." 



As to the action which he has taken looking toward 

 the adoption of a national forest policy, the head of the 

 Forest Service announces that he has initiated "a series 

 of conferences with forest agencies of the states and 

 with representatives of interested institutions and or- 

 ganizations." These conferences, he hopes, will form 

 the basis in "laying the groundwork for a national 

 policy." 



Among some of the facts to which Col. Graves calls 

 attention in connection with his discussion of the prob- 

 lem are the following: 



1. The original supplies of yellow pine in the South 

 will be exhausted in ten years ; and within the next five 

 or seven years more than 3,000 manufacturing plants 

 will go out of existence. 



2. Within the last 10 years new mill development 

 for news-print manufacture in this country has almost 

 wholly ceased, while in Canada during that time no less 

 that 28 mills have been built, largely with American 

 capital. 



3. The Lake States, which a few years ago were the 

 greatest producers of timber, are today paying a freight 

 bill of about $6,000,000 a year to bring in lumber and 

 other products from outside sources. 



4. It is estimated that fully 30 per cent of all the 

 lumber now used in New England comes from outside 

 the region ; and this is in addition to the importations 

 of large quantities of pulp wood. 



5. Many important wood-using industries are al- 

 ready embarrassed for supplies. 



"The policies of the Government and the States dur- 

 ing the next few years in matters relating to forests and 

 lumber will be of far-reaching importance," says Col. 

 Graves. "Conditions created by the war present certain 

 problems of urgent interest to the lumber industry that 

 will require definite action by the Federal Government." 

 There are conditions, he asserts, "which both from the 

 standjjoint of the lumber industry and of the general 

 public welfare demand constructive action." 



In pointing to the urgent need of a national forest 

 policy, the Chief Forester makes this statement : "The 

 dissipation of our forests goes on with no let up, and 

 still for the most part without any provision for the 

 continuance of the forests after lumbering. Exhaustion 

 of local forest supplies, the closing of industries depend- 

 ent on them, the embarrassment for supplies of the pulp 

 mills and other consumers using special classes of forest 

 products, the generally mounting prices to consumers, 

 are other factors which are calling sharp attention to the 

 effect of forest destruction, and are causing increasing 

 public uneasiness." He declares that lumbermen are 

 giving thoughtful attention to the needs of the industry 

 and they recognize that many things of a helpful and 

 constructive character can be done within the industry 

 in the way of cost accounting, economies in manufacture, 

 scientific merchandising and so on. 



"But neither the lumber industry nor the public can 

 ignore the fact," he goes on, "that the great fundamen- 

 tal problems, which not only involve the permanence and 

 stability of the interests dependent on our forests, but 

 also gravely affect the national welfare, are not being 

 solved." 



These problems he divides into four general groups : 



1. Those relating to the causes of over-production. 



2. Those that concern the supply, character, well- 

 being and stability of labor. 



3. The problem of the continuance of private forests 

 and of stumpage supply ; and 



