73G JOURNAL OF FORESTRY 



lumber and wood-using industries and now impoverished by the 

 wastage of great areas of lands that are not suitable for agriculture 

 or other purposes than growing trees. 



It should be borne in mind that our country is still using old-growth 

 timber for most uses. Except in a few regions, the people have not 

 accustomed themselves to use the type of lumber that comes from 

 young or second growth timber. Our lumber manufacturing industry, 

 that supplies the general market, is built up on the basis of large 

 quantity production from old-growth forests. The same is true of 

 most of the wood-using industries, including the vehicle, veneer, imple- 

 ment, furniture, cooperage, and even the newsprint paper industries. 

 The transition from the use of high-grade virgin timber to second 

 growth presents many difficulties and many industrial disturbances 

 that locally at least are serious. Any complete inquiry into the con- 

 dition of our forests involves first the amount of standing timber, its 

 character and availability, second, the amount of second growth now 

 standing that may be counted upon when the old timber growth is 

 exhausted, and third, the subsequent growth from small trees already 

 established or which will come up on cut-over lands. 



In the Capper Report the quantity of first-growth timber and second 

 growth of merchantable size are in many cases not separated, due 

 doubtless to inadequate information on this point. The rate of de- 

 pletion of all merchantable timber shows a condition that is extremely 

 disturbing; more so when one realizes that the second growth is not 

 being spared for later cuttings but a clean sweep is being made 

 wherever the smaller trees can be marketed. An analysis of the data 

 shows that in 20 years most of the large scale operations in the eastern 

 States will be completed. This means that the old timber will be gone 

 except scattered small fragments, as well as the second growth in 

 mixture or immediately adjacent to the present larger tracts. 



The question naturally arises whether it will not be possible within 

 a decade or so for people to adapt their requirements to second growth 

 of which there are now considerable quantities of sizes large enough 

 for the saw? Thus the Capper Report tells us that in the southern 

 pine belt there are 39 million acres supporting second growth of mer- 

 chantable size. Why not draw on that supply when the old timber 

 is cut? Right here is one of the most serious phases of the whole 

 situation. The second growth is also being cut with great rapidity 

 and the more important bodies will be exhausted coincidently with 



