A NATIONAL FOREST POLICY 



AMERICAN FORESTRY MAGAZINE HEREWITH PUBLISHES SOME MORE MATTER OF INTEREST REGARDING THE NEED OF A 

 NATIONAL FOREST POLICY AND THE KIND OF A FOREST POLICY PROPOSED BY UNITED STATES FORESTER HENRY S. GRAVES. 

 COL. GRAVES' OUTLINE OF THE PRINCIPLES OF SUCH A POLICY WAS PRINTED IN THE AUGUST ISSUE OF THE MAGAZINE. 

 FORESTERS, LUMBERMEN AND TIMBERLAND OWNERS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTRY HAVE BEEN INVITED BY THE AMERICAN 

 FORESTRY ASSOCIATION TO EXPRESS THEIR VIEWS ON THIS VITALLY IMPORTANT SUBJECT.— EDITOR. 



NATIONAL LUMBER MANUFACTURERS RESOLVE 



A RESOLUTION passed by the special committee of 

 -^ the National Lumber Manufacturers' Association 

 and referring to a National Forest Policy is as follows : 



Referring especially to the suggestion for a national forest 

 policy as represented today by Colonel H. S. Graves, Chief 

 Forester of the United States, and in response to the request 

 of the National Lumber Manufacturers' Association, we recog- 

 nize that both national and industrial welfare demand early 

 development of an American forest policy which shall substi- 

 tute for indifference or accident, an intelligent, practical, equi- 

 table and concerted program for the perpetuation of forest 

 supplies; and in behalf of the National Lumber Manufacturers' 

 Association we offer the facilities of the lumber industry to the 

 end that the determination of such program may be effective 

 and consistent with the true interests of the public. 



The committee also passed the following': 

 Recognizing that no general regulations can properly be im- 

 posed; that most forestry problems are largely local, we recom- 

 mend that each constituent organization of the National ap- 

 point a committee to consider the valuable suggestions made 

 by Colonel Graves, to confer with their local state and Federal 

 forestry authorities as to what steps are needful and practicable 

 in their respective localities, and to promote the adoption by 

 public and industry of such steps as may be mutually agreed 

 upon. 



We further recommend the continuance of a standing com- 

 mittee representing the National ; preferably one also represen- 

 tative of the local committee which should assist said associa- 

 tion and Government in all related matters requiring general 

 consideration. 



A NATIONAL FOREST POLICY 



THE committee on Forest Conservation of the Ameri- 

 can Paper and Pulp Association, after a careful con- 

 sideration of the need of a national forest policy and its 

 features has recently made a report embodying its sug- 

 gestions for such a policy with special reference to the 

 pulp and paper industr}-. 



This report says in part: 



Any program looking toward the solution of the prob- 

 lem of a permanent timber supply must be : 



(aj Adequate and practicable to produce the needed 

 results. 



(b) Just to all interests concerned. 



(c) Acceptable to the majority. 



We believe that to grow the bulk of the older and 

 larger sizes of timber, public ownership of timberland 

 — National or State — with private cutting and market- 

 ing operations is the most feasible solution of the prob- 

 lem. The production of large-size timber is too long 

 an undertaking with too great hazards and too low a rate 

 of return to attract private capital in adequate amount. 

 The State and National Governments, whose primary 

 concern is the welfare of all citizens and industries, can 

 best afford to engage in the long time undertakings of 

 timber growing at a low rate of return upon invested 

 capital. On the other hand, the public will get much 

 better service if the operations of transforming stump- 

 age into merchantable, commodities and their distribu- 

 tion are left to the energy, initiative and ingenuity of 

 private capital under such silvilcultural regulations as 

 will best perpetuate the supply of raw material. 



We believe that there is urgent need for the speedy 

 adoption and execution of a forest policy by the Nati- 

 onal and State Governments in co-operation to accom- 

 plish these things : 



FIRST; A forest survey and land classification to de- 

 termine what we can have in the way of present supplies 

 and the areas which may properly be designated as 

 necessary for watershed protection and as affording 

 opportunity for future timber supply. 



Second ; A great enlargment and extension to all 

 appropriate parts of the country of the public purchase 

 of cutover lands for which ample precedent has been 

 established in the East, by both the Federal Govern- 

 ment and by some of the states. National Forests 

 in the West created by the setting aside of land from 

 the public domain now contain some 13.5,000,000 acres. 

 Much of this land, however, is but poorly forested and 

 even under a much more extensive planting policy than 

 has yet been proposed will not be a source of any con- 

 siderable timber supply for a long time to come. The 

 best interests of the country would seem ultimately 

 to require at least twice the present area of public 

 forests. 



THIRD: .X much more vigorous and general exten- 

 sion of Federal co-operation with the states in fire 

 prevention along the line of the Week's law coupled 

 with sucli additional measures in the different states as 

 will most reduce the fire hazard and afford opportunity 

 for natural reproduction. 

 The States should do much more than they have yet 

 done in the way of fire control. While the private 

 owner may not be legally compelled to grow timber 

 upon his land if he does not wish to do so he is under 

 both moral and legal oliligation to handle his jjroperty 

 in such a way that it does not become a pulilic men- 



