A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 105 



productive may give direct employment to at least one person for 

 every 250 acres, or the equivalent of full-time work for some 2,000,000 

 persons in all. 



FORESTS AS A SOURCE OF EMERGENCY EMPLOYMENT 



Much has been said regarding the possibilities of forest work as a 

 means of relieving unemployment during periods of economic depres- 

 sion. Such work has been used to good advantage in several States, 

 notably California, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Massachusetts, 

 Wisconsin, and New York during the last year or two. It has 

 possibilities of great expansion. 



It also has its limitations, particularly after forests are on a sus- 

 tained yield basis. Most of the work incidental to protection, 

 management, and exploitation must then be done currently and in 

 fairly even volume. Planting cannot be expanded quickly to meet 

 emergencies, because the planting stock has to be grown in nurseries 

 for 1, 2, or 3 years or even longer before it is ready to set out. It is 

 impossible to raise surplus planting stock in advance and hold it in 

 reserve until needed, because it is impractical to use trees more than 

 3 or 4 years old. Fire protection work depends largely upon seasonal 

 conditions. Slash disposal, where necessary, must be done soon after 

 the timber is cut, hence is governed largely by the rate of cutting. 

 Thinnings and improvement cuttings in properly regulated forests 

 cannot be postponed indefinitely until a depression happens along, 

 but must follow a fairly regular schedule. The rate of timber cutting 

 in general is bound to be curtailed, not expanded, during depression 

 periods, thus releasing large numbers of woods and mill workers. 

 In Germany, unemployment in the forest and woodworking industries 

 at the present time is worse than in most of the other industries. 5 

 As for the technical foresters, not only has the state forest personnel 

 been reduced, but it is reported that more than 2,000 foresters in 

 private employment have lost their jobs. 



However, our forests in their present unregulated and undeveloped 

 condition do offer opportunities for a large amount of emergency em- 

 ployment. There is great need for permanent improvements such as 

 roads, trails, telephone lines, firebreaks, recreation facilities, lookout 

 towers, and the elimination of fire hazards, such as standing* dead 

 snags and accumulated slash. In many localities there is urgent need 

 for check dams, terracing, and forest planting to check erosion. 

 Most of our forests are in need of improvement cuttings to remove 

 defective, diseased, or otherwise undesirable trees and thus increase 

 the yields of better quality timber. Much can be done to clear up 

 breeding places for insect pests and tree diseases. Forest planting on 

 a much larger scale than hitherto will be needed, even after the de- 

 pression is over, hence it would be possible now to employ many men 

 in establishing nurseries and preparing planting sites. 



According to a recent survey by the American Tree Association, 

 the National and State forests could, if funds were made available, 

 give work to at least 70,000 men for a year, or to a much larger num- 

 ber for shorter periods. This estimate is believed to be extremely 

 conservative. According to later estimates, a much greater number 



8 Lemmel. Die Wirtschaftsergebnisse des Preussischen Staatsforstverwaltung im Jahre 1930. Mit- 

 teilungen aus Forstwirtschaft und Forstwissenschaft 3:15-95. 1932. 



