CONTINUOUS FOREST PRODUCTION OF PRIVATELY OWNED 

 TIMBERLANDS AS A SOLUTION OF THE ECONOMIC 

 DIFFICULTIES OF THE LUMBER INDUSTRY 



By Burt P. Kirkland 



Professor of Forestry, University of Washington 



Many of the brightest minds in this countr}^ have given attention 

 in the last few years to the solution of the economic difficulties under 

 which, it is well known, the Itimber industry has been and still is suffer- 

 ing, but so far as I know, the placing of private lands under forest 

 management has not been offered as any aid in the solution of these 

 difficulties except in so far as the transfer of these lands to Federal 

 and State ownership has been proposed. It is evident, then, that the 

 person who attempts to attack this great problem along the latter 

 lines has undertaken a large order. In approaching the solution of the 

 lumber industry problems from the standpoint of permanent forest 

 management, my purpose for the most part is not to draw specffic 

 conclusions, but to advocate a program of action which shall bring to 

 the solution of forest industry problems such a body of coordinated 

 scientific effort as has never heretofore been brought to bear. 



Before proceeding to the consideration of . a possible solution of 

 these problems it is necessary to review them here briefly. The 

 generally recognized ones are : 



L An overload of standing timber in private hands. 



2. Over-investment in mills and logging camps. 



3. As a result of over-investment in timber and in miUs, a most 

 destructive competition constantly waged, no let up on which is yet 

 in sight. 



4. Defective methods of distribution of forest products to the 

 consumer. 



5. Competition of substitutes. 



Not so generally recognized are the following : 



6. Excessive cost of capital, due to the industry depending upon 

 speculative capital. 



7. A heavy annual depletion charge against the industry, due to 

 handling the timber as a mine instead of as a self-perpetuating resource 

 as it should be. 



Naturally enough, there are numerous minor evils affecting the 



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