THE VALUE OF YOUNG GROWTH ON CUT-OVER LAND 

 By Swift Berry 

 Forest Engineer 



The problem of determining the amount and value of young growth 

 will be met with by many timber owners, in considering the exchange 

 of cut-over forest lands within the National Forests. Substantial prog- 

 ress is being made in the present Congress on land exchange legislation, 

 and it is probable that the session of this winter will result in the enact- 

 ment of several such bills covering individual National Forests or States. 

 The provisions of these bills permit exchanges of private land and tim- 

 ber in the National Forests specified for National Forest land or tim- 

 ber within the same State. It is anticipated that the most usual form 

 of exchange will be the trading of privately owned, cut-over timber 

 lands desired by the Government as additions to its National Forests 

 for National Forest stumpage to be cut by the operator, which will 

 work out much like buying a tract of National Forest timber under the 

 usual timber sale regulations and paying for it with an equal value of 

 cut-over lands. All exchanges are to be made on the- basis of equal 

 values as determined by careful appraisals of both timber and cut-over 

 lands and accepted by both parties. In arriving at the value of cut-over 

 lands the first question confronting the owner is the relation between the 

 value of lands without reproduction and those that have restocked with 

 young growth. 



In this connection the description of a field survey made during the 

 past summer by an owner in the California pine region may be of 

 interest. This concern owns about 18,000 acres of desirable cut-over 

 forest lands within a National Forest, where exchanges have been 

 authorized by legislation and where there is an available supply of 

 National Forest stumpage for exchange in return. These lands are so 

 situated that their acquisition would greatly simplify the administration 

 of the National Forest and they are located in an excellent sugar and 

 yellow pine belt as is evidenced by an average yield of 37,000 board 

 feet per acre. The cutting on the area in question covered a period of 

 about 20 years previous to 1921. Before making a formal ofifer of 

 exchange to the Government the owner desired to have definite informa- 



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