Plan to Meet Needs for Wood and Timber. 321 



These are results actually achieved and not fancies or forecasts. 

 According to the Conservation Commission's report there are 

 in New England 2,225,000 acres immediately ready for planting, 

 and with a little closer scrutiny by the State Foresters, probably 

 twice that amount may be found, for I believe I know that Massa- 

 chusetts alone contains approximately the whole amount stated 

 by the Commission. A twenty-five year campaign of reforestation 

 would necessitate an annual planting of 200,000 acres. There 

 is some planting done, but in the face of these figures does 

 not what is actually done towards recovery of this lost ground 

 look amateurish and inadequate? 



Such an area of 5,000,000 acres, which is twice the forest area 

 of Bavaria and Baden combined, which produces $10,000,000 

 annual revenue, planted with White Pine at $10 per acre and 

 properly managed would eventually produce annually its 2,000,000 

 M feet of lumber, which even at present stumpage prices would be 

 worth $20,000,000, and be an ample supply for any population 

 that might be then located in New England. 



The same method of engaging the State's credit to inaugurate 

 a plan of preparing for the future and making waste lands produc- 

 tive by municipal planting could be readily extended to the 

 Federal Government assisting the States by loans, if not subven- 

 tions. 



We are now accustomed to have the general Government stand 

 behind large national undertakings, such as the reclamation ser- 

 vice, the waterways commission, the good roads movement, etc. 

 If it is desirable for the general Government to spend funds in 

 preparing ground for agricultural use by irrigation works or by 

 draining swamps, why should it not extend its beneficent action 

 to bring waste lands into forest use by inaugurating a systematic 

 financial assistance in loaning its credit to the States for the 

 recuperation of mismanaged forest acres- 

 It would not be difficult now to elaborate the details of such a 

 plan of co-operation between the general Government, the States 

 and municipalities, and, under special conditions, including private 

 owners of forest land in need of recuperation. If this were done 

 now, by the time our virgin supplies, and second or volunteer 

 growth supplies are used up plantations would have matured and 

 we would be able to supply our annual needs. 



