690 A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



physical and other properties of wood on the most intelligent selection 

 or use of wood in the light of these properties, on how to modify and 

 adapt the properties for particular uses, and on the development of 

 better design and assembly methods in building and construction 

 which consumes over 60 percent of the lumber produced in the United 

 States. 



With work ahead of the magnitude and scope indicated, it is neces- 

 sary upon the completion in 1938 of the 10-year period provided 

 under the research act to look forward either to taking advantage of 

 the lapse of the specified appropriation limitations, or to legislation 

 for an entirely new financial plan. In either case, economic conditions 

 permitting, regular increases should continue as fast as competent 

 personnel can be obtained, until public needs and Federal obligations 

 are met. Some classes of work can contribute so directly to the solu- 

 tion of acute depression problems that serious consideration of appro- 

 priation increases as emergency measures is justified. Among these 

 are the Forest Survey and some other forest economic investigations, 

 and various phases of the utilization problem. National losses from 

 excessive erosion and unnecessary floods are already so great and the 

 threat of still worse conditions so serious that special consideration 

 is also justified for investigations of the use of forest cover for control. 

 Belief that the amounts needed for emergency and for regular subse- 

 quent increases can and will be made available is merely an expression 

 of confidence in the future of the United States. It is quite possible 

 that experience may show the need for more additional sections of the 

 act than have been indicated in order to provide satisfactorily for the 

 work discussed. 



Prospective financial needs for the decade beginning 1935 are fore- 

 cast in the following tabulation. The first column of figures indicates 

 the average annual increases needed for the various classes of forest 

 research to carry out the financial plan prescribed by the McSweeney 

 Act for its last four years, and also to provide for erosion-streamflow 

 and land classification investigations. If, as now seems practically 

 certain, economic conditions will prevent all but extreme emergency 

 increases in 1934, the average for the four remaining years of the act 

 will be correspondingly higher. The second column of figures indi- 

 cates the average annual increases needed for the last six years of the 

 decade : 



Average annual appropriation increase 



The amount specified under the Forest Survey is that required to 

 raise the appropriation to the existing authorization of $250,000 in a 

 single year. The research act should be amended to increase the 

 maximum annual authorization to $500,000 for the initial forest 



