A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 1285 



billion board feet out of the total saw-timber stand of 1,668 billion is 

 in private ownership in the northern Rockies and Pacific regions. Of 

 this, about 242 billion board feet (excluding farm woodlots except in 

 California and inferior species such as larch and fir) are in accessibility 

 zones 2 and 3, that is, so located that no profit can be made in operat- 

 ing the stumpage, on the basis of average operating costs and selling 

 prices. Despite this fact, new operations continue to be begun in these 

 zones, because of the unendurable financial pressure which forces stump- 

 age owners to risk any gamble in order to obtain some current income. 



An analysis of other possible means of controlling the installation 

 of new operations ended with the conclusion that the surest way to 

 curb further overproduction was for the Federal Government to 

 acquire substantial volumes of saw timber on nonoperating properties. 

 Such a program would enable the Federal Government as stumpage 

 owner to offer for cutting the acquired stumpage along with existing 

 national-forest stumpage as it was actually needed. This plan of 

 management would be simply a continuation of established policies. 

 If new and large operations could be prevented for even a few years, as 

 this program would prevent them, old operations would continue to drop 

 out, as stumpage supplies were used up, and a reasonable balance be- 

 tween production and consumption demands would become established. 



In this way, top, new operations could be organized on a sustained- 

 yield basis, that is, cutting only the amount each year that could be 

 replaced through regrowth. Plan-wise utilization such as this is an 

 established part of national-forest operations, and avoids the worst 

 consequences of the over-rapid liquidation now characteristic of 

 lumber operations on private lands. 



Even a moderate slowing down of the rate of removal of the private 

 stumpage of the Northwest would prolong markedly the period during 

 which it will be available. Moreover, the more stable industrial 

 conditions which could be brought about through balancing produc- 

 tion and consumption would make it profitable to utilize large quan- 

 tities of wood which is not used when cut-throat competition prevails. 



The more orderly utilization would have the further desirable effect 

 of maintaining growing stocks. Stumpage in the East has been 

 liquidated under private ownership to a point where the growing 

 stock is only about 40 percent adequate. Too rapid rate of cutting 

 and lack of attention to keeping the cut-over land productive have 

 resulted in the job now on hand. 



Exactly the same process is now going on in the West on private 

 forest lands. The increased Federal ownership would surely prevent 

 an unnecessary reduction in growing stock, but one which is inevitable 

 unless present western trends are halted. 



The need for maintaining growing stock, for husbanding available 

 supplies, and for augmenting them in effect by more complete utiliza- 

 tion is so clear that whatever feasible method will accomplish these 

 purposes is worthy of adoption. 



Federal purchase of about 90 billion feet of private stumpage in 

 zones 2 and 3 would have such an effect. It is estimated that the 

 purchase price would be about $100,000,000. By withholding the 

 stumpage from sale until actually needed, this sum plus carrying 

 charges would certainly be returned to the Federal Treasury. In the 

 long run the project would at least pay for itself. 



The public acquisition program recommended as necessary to carry 

 the public's share of balancing the timber budget therefore includes 



