No. 7. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 469 



ble sawmills will operate for many years to come. Our climatic 

 conditions are very favorable for excellent forest growth and with 

 proper support our State Forestry Commission should be able as 

 years go, to so re-forest the barren and non-agricultural lands that 

 they will not only pay for their protection and care, but become a 

 source of great revenue for the State. 



In view of the statements made, which all of you know to be 

 more than theories, there are people who still say that substitutes 

 will be found for our timber and that all of this talk about forest 

 protection and reforestation is foolishness. We know that the use 

 of steel and cement and other materials has increased tremendously 

 in this country and will continue to increase, yet the mere fact that 

 the use of these materials is increasing argues a great increase in the 

 use of timber. With all the trials that have been made of substi- 

 tutes, it is not clearly proven that cement or any metal will ever 

 replace timber for railroad ties, pavements, fence posts, etc. In 

 fact, a number of our railroads have made careful test of cement and 

 steel ties and after these tests are erecting treating plants with the 

 idea of using ties from rapid growing soft woods properly treated 

 with creosote even though they require a tie-plate and screw-spike. 

 Furthermore there is a constantly increasing use of wooden pave- 

 ments in European countries, and many cities in this country are 

 laying more wooden pavements than any other kind. 



If our system of taxing the forest as a crop was as equitable as 

 our system of taxing agricultural crops, our lumbermen would be as 

 anxious to conserve the timber as anyone. As our forests are now 

 taxed, lumbermen are simply forced to cut the forests, or have them 

 taxed out of existence. When the time comes that forests are taxed 

 as other agricultural crops, that is when the crop is harvested, then 

 our lumbermen and large corporations generally will turn to forestry 

 SIS they are already convinced that it is a good business proposition. 



THE FOREST A RENEWABLE RESOURCE. 



Pennsylvania can and will make her eight to ten million acres of 

 agricultural lands a very important factor in the progress of the 

 State, and the value of these agricultural lands will increase more 

 rapidly after our supplies of coal and metal are gone. The encour- 

 aging thing about forestry is, that even though we have very largely 

 exhausted our vast timber resources, a forest is a renewable resource 

 and can be made a constant source of income for all time to come. 

 We must not forget that there are ten to fifteen million acres in 

 Pennsylvania better suited to forest trees than to any other crop. 

 These lands can be made to produce not only a large part of our 

 needs in timber and conserve our waters, but as the virgin supply of 

 timber in other parts of the country disappear our forests can be 

 made so profitable that they will go far towards relieving the people 

 of our Commonwealth from taxation. 



Reforestation and proper forest management will come slowly 

 and the help of everyone is needed. The mere fact that this asso- 

 ciation has a Forestry Committee is a great help, and each of yom 

 can help in preserving our forests by giving your cordial support 

 to our efficient State Forestry Reservation Commission, the forest 

 schools of the State and the United States Forest Seryice. Not only 

 fee! that the movement should be supported, but act, and keep ever- 



