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protection and forest extension. This means that the indigenous 

 forests must be protected from all trespass whatsoever, and that 

 where they are of any value as water conservators, no cutting of 

 timber can be allowed in them. Regardless of what takes place 

 outside the native forest reserves at lower elevations, the necessity 

 of the absolute protection of our reserves of indigenous forests 

 must be kept uppermost in mind. 



At the same time the crying need in the Territory for fuel 

 wood must necessarily be heeded. The days when the native 

 forest was cut for this purpose, with destructive results, have al- 

 most completely passed, and if it had not been for the timely in- 

 troduction and natural spread of the algaroba. the people of the 

 Territory would today be badly ofif for fuel wood. As it is, 

 however, the demand for fuel is today so great that the price of 

 $14 per cord for algaroba wood delivered in Honolulu is higher 

 than under ameliorated conditions it should be and the plantations 

 and other companies find their fuel wood bills a very large item 

 of expense. The rapid increase in the population of the islands 

 due to the advent of several branches of the military service and 

 other reasons bids fair to make the demand for fuel wood still 

 greater in the very near future. 



It therefore appears appropriate that your Division of Forestry 

 should look into the situation carefully and lend every effort to- 

 ward its amelioration. The present annual consumption of fuel 

 wood and present source of supply should be thoroughly inves- 

 tigated and a study made of the means of increasing the supply 

 "by the encouragement of tree planting on present unoccupied 

 waste lands. This, with your approval, I propose to do at the ear- 

 liest opportunity by making an investigation in the Territory along 

 lines which* are similar to those used by the U. S. Forest Service 

 lately in studving the wood using industries in about 36 of the 

 States of the Union in cooperation with State Foresters and other 

 similar officials. The results of these studies, which have been 

 published in bulletins, have proved to be of great value for they 

 indicate among other things the relation of the forests to the in- 

 dustries of the State. Copies of these bulletins are in my office 

 available for inspection at any time. A similar study made by 

 the U. S. Forest Service recently in Porto Rico, brought out the 

 fact of the great demand for fuel on that island and I anticipate 

 that a similar study in these islands will result in findings of the 

 same nature. 



Practically the only cost in connection with this study would 

 be the publication of the results, which would amount to a few- 

 hundred dollars, for the U. S. Forest Service, with which I still 

 retain a connection as collaborator, has informed me that they 

 would be glad to cooperate with this board in the study in every 

 possible wav. Much of the investigation would be carried on by 

 mail to be followed up later by a personal interview^ of those who 



