July 20, l'J21 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



Forests Should Be Public Utilities 



Chief Forester Expresses This Opinion Before U. S. Chamber of Commerce 

 Hearing in Chicago; Forestry Policy Committee Takes Other 



Valuable Testimony 



Because of the vital pulilic interest iuvolvod the forest resources 

 of the country should be classed as public utilities, W. B. Greeley, 

 chief forester of the United States, told the U. S. Chamber of 

 Commerce's National Forestry Policy Committee, on July 18, at 

 the Union League Club, Chicago. The regulation, taxation, etc., 

 of timbered lands should conform to this consideration, the chief 

 forester held. 



His statement was made as a witness during the hearings con- 

 ducted by the Chamber of Commerce Committee in Chicago on July 

 18 and 19, at which time a great variety of persons testified as 

 to their opinion of what is needed in the way of a national for- 

 estry policy. These witnesses included users of wood, college 

 professors, lawyers, botanists, practical lumbermen, foresters and 

 journalists, resulting in a considerable assortment of opinions as 

 to the details of a national forestry policy, but expression of the 

 uniform belief that some national action must be taken to insure 

 the perpetuity of our forest resources. 



The hearings were presided over by David L. Goodwillie of 

 Chicago, chairman of the committee, who called up the Chief 

 Forester the morning of the first day, after he had explained that 

 his committee was handling the forestry question in an entirely 

 judicial manner; that the committee, in its official capacity, sub- 

 scribed to no school of forestry thought and advocated no particu- 

 lar legislation; that it merely sought to gather and sift the opinions 

 of various advocates and experts in order to" secure information 

 from which a referendum on the question might be drafted by the 

 Chamber of Commerce of the United States for submission to the 

 organized business interests Of the country. 



The Chicago hearings were distinguished by the fact that this 

 was the first time the Chief Forester had appeared before the 

 committee as a witness. At the New York hearing Gififord Pinchot, 

 former Chief Forester, was the principal witness, giving testimony 

 in support of the school of forestry policy thought represented by 

 the Capper Bill. In Chicago Col. Greeley filed testimony which it 

 is assumed opposed the Capper school of thought and supports 

 those principles of reforestation defined in the Snell bill. Mr. 

 Pinchot is regarded as the leader of the Capper school of thought 

 and Col. Greeley of the Snell school. 



At the beginning of his testimony, Col. Greeley repeated the 

 statistics on the depletion of the forest resources of the country, 

 which he has previously cited to illustrate the grave necessity of 

 a national timberland policy. In sum, that there is a yearly drain 

 on the forest resources of the country of 26 billion cubic feet as 

 against a yearly growth of 6 billion clubic feet. In other words, we 

 are using up our timber 4^4 times as fast as it is being replaced 

 by growth. 



Transportation Is a Big Item 



The cost of transportation is one of the most important matters 

 that bears upon the forestry problem, Col. Greeley said. It is one 

 of the largest items of costs the user of wood or wood products 

 must pay. Because of the progressive depletion of the various 

 forest stands of the country, removing farther and farther the 

 point of consumption from the source of raw material, the problem 

 of the transportation of forest productions in this country would 

 have to be carried but one degree farther were the consumers to go 

 to Siberia or South America for their raw forest products. 



The forester explained what reforestation is already being done. 

 Seventeen per cent of the total forest lands are within the national 

 forests. The national forests contain 1,000,000 acres of denuded 

 lands which are being planted at thp rate of 7,000 to 10,000 acres 

 a year. Eight million additional acres are being used for forestry 



purposes. Forty per cent, or around 4,000,000 acres, of lands under 

 Federal ownership are not in the national forest preserves and are 

 receiving no protection nor plan for reforestation. These acres 

 consist of unreserved public lands, state and municipal tracts. 



Of the 463 million acres of forested land in the country 79 per 

 cent is under private ownership. This is approximately 369 mil- 

 lion acres, situated in thirty-nine different states, and contains 70 

 per cent of the standing timber of the country. Of the thirty-nine 

 states which contain the country's standing timber, twenty-nine 

 have some form of state forestry organization and ten have no 

 forestry organization of any character. Two hundred and twenty 

 million acres of our timbered lands are largely unprotected. 



Cost of Fire Protection 



To protect effectively the entire area of timber land in private 

 hands, the Forester estimated, would cost approximately two and 

 one-half cents per acre. East and West, or about $9,225,000 annu- 

 ally. "The fire protection of private forest lands is but 25 per 

 cent done," the Forester said, "and 75 per cent not done, consider- 

 ing no protection and inadequate protection." 



Twice as much land is burned over as is logged over each year, 

 he said. Between four and five million acres are cut over yearly, 

 while eight to ten million acres are burned over. 



The taxing phase of the forestry problem also is unsolved, Col. 

 Greeley stated. But six states out of the thirty-nine having for- 

 estry organization have tried to modify their tax laws to make 

 them applicable to the needs of forest lands. Of those that have 

 made a start toward proper timber land taxation, not one has yet 

 reached a satisfactory position. 



Describing his forestry policy platform, Col. Greeley said that 

 his first plank would be to the protection of the young growth and 

 small timber on the 245 million acres of timbered land, which con- 

 tains both young growth and culled timber. Second, restore to pro- 

 ductivity the 81 million acres of land so cut and burned as to be 

 completely denuded. A large part of this must be replanted and 

 this duty should fall upon the public, he said. Third, reforestation 

 of the remaining virgin timber lands as cut, say at rate of four 

 million acres per year. Seventy-five per cent of this can be accom- 

 plished by fire protection. On only 25 per cent will it be necessary 

 to do more than keep fire out. 



Cost of Reforestation 



Asked to give some figures on the cost of reforestation, Col. 

 Greeley made substantially the following statement: Cost of com- 

 plete fire protection, less slash disposal, including fire patrol, 

 .$9,000,000 per year, or 18 cents per thousand on the present cut 

 of all merchantable timber. 



The cost of reforestation now falls 60 per cent upon the public 

 and 40 per cent upon the private owner, but this should bo about 

 half and half. 



Col. Greeley said that the operation of timber lands under refor- 

 estation methods is no new thing and makes no large expense. The 

 average cost on Government owned land is about 75 cents per thou- 

 sand feet, running from a minimum of 25 cents per thousand to a 

 maximum of $1.75. The cost of operation of any private timber 

 lands under any national method of reforestation would be less 

 than the figures cited, he said, as the purpose would be to enforce 

 only the minimum requirements. "It is hard to conceive that the 

 cost would be over 50 cents a thousand on the average." The 

 cost would be highest in the north because of the complicated slash 

 disposal problem, he said. 



(Continued o» page 20) 



