386 Forestry Quarterly. 



not be introduced now, but I do believe that not all the well tried 

 principles of forest management need be forsaken. The National 

 Foresters will be better fitted to meet the demands of the distant 

 future, and at least as well fitted for meeting the demands of the 

 immediate future, if cutting to the limit of the Forest begins as 

 soon as possible. 



Effect of Present Cutting Policy on Future Timber Sup- 

 plies. 



The only reasonable argument for withholding cutting from 

 Forest now, is that the timber stored up can be utilized later. 

 It has been shown that this stored up timber cannot be utilized 

 later without at that time abandoning in whole, or in part, a 

 sustained annual yield management. Even if we assume that 

 such management will be abandoned, what will be the effect in 

 this particular region of storing up timber? It is a well known 

 fact that the sawmill capacity of this region is far above the 

 market demands. Every sawmill is able to secure all the logs it 

 wants whenever it can sell its lumber product. In other words, 

 as much timber as can be marketed is being cut annually in any 

 case. It is quite clear, therefore, that cutting on the National 

 Forests west of the Cascades will simply take the place of so 

 much cutting on private lands. The total amount of timber 

 stored in the western part of the State will not be increased at this 

 time by storage on the National Forests. Of course, this will 

 not be true sometime perhaps 20 to 40 years hence, when stump- 

 age on private lands comes to be partially exhausted. Now, 

 which is the most desirable from a public standpoint: storage of 

 stumpage on private lands, or on National Forests? I believe 

 the former is far the most desirable from the standpoint of the 

 State and public for the following reasons. (a) Stumpage 

 stored on private lands bears large revenues to the State through 

 taxation : on the National Forests it yields no State revenues until 

 cut. As soon as it is cut on private lands it ceases entirely to 

 yield State revenue. This is true under the present system of 

 taxation, which, whether just or unjust, will without the slightest 

 doubt continue for virgin timber, (b) Cutting of timber on 

 National Forests will be followed by reforestation. On private 

 lands, cutting is in most cases followed by the land lying abso- 



