906 JOURNAL OF FORESTRY 



Forest Renewal 



The renewal of forests on lands not needed for agriculture and 

 settlement is an essential feature of a national policy of forestry and 

 an effective program should be worked out in each State, backed by 

 appropriate legislation and efficient administration, which will achieve 

 this object on private as well as on public property. As in the case 

 of fire protection, forest renewal on private lands requires the partici- 

 pation and aid of the public. 



There are two problems of forest renewal ; first, the restocking of 

 lands already cut over and now in a condition of waste ; and second, 

 that of providing for natural reproduction when the timber is cut. 



Where there are still seed or seed-bearing trees on cut-over lands, 

 continued fire protection may in many cases suffice for restocking. 

 Where there is no chance for natural reproduction, planting or sowing 

 will be necessary. The public will have to take over a large portion 

 of these cut-over lands and restore them to productivity. In many 

 other cases owners may be induced to restock their waste lands as a 

 business undertaking. 



On lands still timbered provision for forest renewal should be made at 

 time of cutting. Sufficient restocking of the average private tract may 

 be accomplished by natural reproduction without resort to planting or 

 other intensive measures. On certain types forest renewal will result 

 from fire protection alone. In many instances of unrestricted exploita- 

 tion, however, fire protection alone does not suffice to secure renewal 

 and to prevent the lands becoming waste. If protection alone does not 

 suffice to secure forest reproduction, the owners should be required to 

 adopt such measures as may be necessary to accomplish this, with 

 cooperative aid by the public in working out the problem as a practical 

 undertaking. As in the case of fire protection, the additional measures 

 necessary for forest renewal should be made a part of a systematic 

 program in which the public and private owners engage in a joint 

 undertaking with a common objective. 



The first steps in this undertaking are to determine in each region : 



1. The circumstances under which fire protection alone will not 

 suffice to prevent wasting of the land under prevailing methods of 

 lumbering. 



2. The additional measures necessary to secure conditions favorable 

 for natural renewal. 



3. The classes of land upon which forest growth should be con- 

 tinued. 



