December 25, 1920 



HARDWOOD RECORD 



17 



I believe that enlightened self interest will cause a majority of 

 them to do what is required, when once tliey appreciate the neees- 

 ity for such action. And I am convinced that where the ownership 

 of forest lands rests on a permanent basis, particularly as in long 

 lived corporations, the holding of such areas for the practice of 

 forestry is a sound financial proposition. The production of for- 

 ests is necessarily a conservative business enterprise, but given 

 protection from fire, and just taxation, it is as sure and safe an 

 investment as there is. I hold that taken by and large, the 

 American timberland owner is quite as good a citizen and quite as 

 much interested in the permanent welfare of this country as is 

 any one else. But I also think that if he is not awake to his oppor- 

 tunities, and also his responsibilities, in this matter, he will in the 

 end be forced to handle his lands witli a view to the future, or else 

 to turn them over to some one who will. 



The people must have wood and will take the necessary measures 

 to secure it. The far-sighted owner should see this and shape liis 

 course accordingly. 



Proposals for a National Timberland Policy 



It was in February, 1919, that Col. Henry S. Graves, then Chief 

 Forester of the U. S. Forest Service, opened the campaign for a 

 national timberland policy by an address delivered in Boston before 

 a New England Forestry Conference, called for quite another pur- 

 pose. Throughout that year Col. Graves spoke in all parts of the 

 country at gatherings of luniliermen, foresters and timberland 

 owners. The meeting for Now York state was held at Syracuse 

 Nov. 11, 1919, under the auspices of the New York State Forestry 

 Association, members of this iissociation taking a prominent part. 

 The essentials of Col. (irnvfs ' ]irogram were the introduction of 

 means to prevent devastation after lumbering, to the end that the 

 forest might be left in productive condition. He advocated joint 

 action by the federal and state governments looking to this end, 

 but nowhere was he very definite as to the methods which should be 

 employed. Furthermore his program aroused no little antagonism, 

 and perhaps even more on the part of foresters than timberland 

 owners, because of what came to be known as the "mandatory 

 principle," by which it was inferred that he proposed to liave the 

 governmental agencies dictate to the private owner how and wlien 

 and where he should do his cutting. 



In his later addresses Col. Graves modified to a considerable 

 extent his statements on this point, although claiming not to have 

 changed his position in regard tliereto. He then made it clear that 

 so long as some sort of potentially merchantable forest growth 

 remained, he considered the minimum requirements to have been 

 fulfilled. In the northeast, provided fire is kept out after logging, 

 this condition usually results anyway, because of the vigorous 

 reproduction of our northern forest, although very often, as in the 

 Adirondacks, a hardwood forest may succeed the pines and' spruces 

 of earlier days. We should be grateful to Col. Graves for getting 

 this matter under way, for without his initial activity it is doubtful 

 if what has followed would have come about so soon. 



The next important step was the appointment in tlie spring of 

 1919 of a Committee for the Application of Forestry by the Society 

 of American Foresters, the national organization of the forestry 

 profession. The chairman of this committee is Gifford Pinchot, 

 and from his vigorous advocacy of its recommendations it is fre- 

 quently referred to as the "Pinchot Committee." The committee 

 drew up an elaborate report which was submitted to the society 

 late in December, 1919. Copies of the report have been widely dis- 

 tributed. After a recital of facts, concerning the accuracy of 

 which there has been no really vital criticism, the committee out- 

 lined a program, the essential features of which are the creation 

 of a federal commission with direct administrative control over 

 forest devastation on privately owned forest lands, the requirement 

 of reports from forest industries on certain business matters, the 

 control of production whenever .such action was deemed necessary 

 for the public good in times of economic stress, measures looking 

 toward the adjustment of labor difficulties by the granting of 

 official recognition to regional and national boards of lumber em- 

 ployers and employees, together witli features common to the other 



programs about to be enumerated, such as largely increased finan- 

 cial assistance from the federal government to the states for pro- 

 tection agaiijst fire, acquisition by the federal government of addi- 

 tional land through purchase or gift, the creation of a national 

 forest loan board, and the encouragement of such matters as inves- 

 tigation and research, forest fire insurance and the introduction of 

 just methods of forest taxation. The crucial point about the com- 

 mittee's proijosals is, however, the provisions for direct national 

 control, which differentiates it fundamentally from the other pro- 

 grams. 



Other Timberland PoUcies 



In tlie meantime otlier agencies had become interested in the 

 national timberland program. In November, 1919, the Committee 

 on Forest Conservation of the American Paper and Pulp Asso- 

 ciation presented to that association "Suggestions for a national 

 forest policy with especial reference to the pulp and paper indus- 

 try." This was approved and the committee continued. Twice 

 since, in April and in November, 1920, this committee has submitted 

 additional reports with recommendations, with the result that the 

 Paper and Pulp Association program is now regarded as one that 

 plays one of the important parts in the timberland policy drama. 

 The chairman of that committee is a member of this association, 

 Frank L. Moore. It may be noted further that the pulp and 

 paper report of April deals primarily with federal policies, that 

 of November with state policies. Members of this association 

 should familiarize themselves with both. 



The essential points of the Paper and Pulp Association program, 

 first as to federal policy, are the recommendations tliat the federal 

 government appropriate annually not less than a million dollars, 

 to be expended through the Secretary of Agriculture in cooperation 

 with the states; that the acquisition of forest land by the govern- 

 ment be accelerated, both by purchase and exchange, with which 

 goes the suggestion that for this purpose there be appropriated ten 

 million dollars a year for five years; and that there be a survey of 

 tlie forest resources, production and requirements of the nation. 

 In common with other programs, investigation, just taxation and 

 forest planting are also recommended. As to state forest policies, 

 the Paper and Pulp Association Committee advocates that the 

 administration rest with the states, but in cooperation with the 

 federal government: "that the state, upon request, shall assist the 

 private owners of forest lands to make them continuously pro- 

 ductive through the preparation of working plans, supplying of 

 plant material and supervision of silvicultural operations free of 

 charge, or at cost"; and that the state be empowered to take over 

 at a fair valuation any forest land in case the owner refuses to 

 avail himself of the opportunities afforded. This clause is the most 

 significant in the whole program. There is a further provision 

 that is unique in these programs: That all state owned forest 

 property be capitalized, so that expenses and returns therewith may 

 be accounted for on a business basis. This suggestion is in line 

 with legislation enacted last winter in Massachusetts, in connection 

 with the purchase of state forest reserves. 



The Paper and Pulp Association is to be congratulated upon being- 

 the first of the commercial organizations definitely to come for- 

 ward with a plan to meet the national timberland situation. 



National Lumber Manufacturers' Plan 



It is natural to consider next the program of the National Lum- 

 ber Manufacturers' Association, which has been ably presented on 

 more than one occasion by E. T. Allen, since last April the 

 officially designated forester of that organization. Mr. Allen has 

 long been a leader in the Western Forestry and Conservation Asso- 

 ciation, the central body of the fire protective associations in the 

 Pacific Northwest. The program of that association has in effect 

 become the plan adopted by the National Lumber Manufacturers' 

 Association. It is very similar to the Paper and Pulp Association 

 program, but differs from it in two essential points, first that it does 

 not limit cooperation by the federal government solely to states 

 that submit a plan of operation that is acceptable to the Secretary 

 of Agriculture, — obviously a less stringent requirement, — but secr 

 (Continued on page 24) 



