1310 A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



them as a species of commercial importance. Fortunately the blister 

 rust, because of its double host, offers an opportunity to protect the 

 pines through the removal of one host (Ribes). In the light of Euro- 

 pean experience with intensive forestry, systematic forest manage- 

 ment brings on its own disease problems, more or less different from 

 those of our virgin or culled forests, but which will nevertheless 

 require measures of control. These are not provided for in the 

 calculation. 



The proposed increase raises the present per-acre expenditure from 

 0.172 to 0.193 cents (table 1), devoted mainly to the control of the 

 blister rust. A total sum of $2,000,000 a year for 5 years will safe- 

 guard the white and sugar pine from extermination but on 3 million 

 acres only. It will leave exposed about 10 million acres on which 

 5-needle pines make up a small portion of the total stand, and which 

 can be replaced by other species now found in mixture. 



The proposed cost has been calculated as follows: The total 

 $10,000,000 needed for eradication is considered as a capital invest- 

 ment to salvage and perpetuate the white and sugar pine on selected 

 and important commercial areas. This sum has been charged off for 

 an entire rotation or at the rate of 1 percent per year, giving an annual 

 carrying charge of $100,000. In addition 7 cents per acre per year will 

 have to be spent on the 3 million acres treated to prevent reinvasion 

 of ribes, which will cost $210,000 per year. Therefore, $310,000 is 

 the annual carrying charge. 



TIMBER MANAGEMENT 



It is estimated that timber sales will be made on about 50 million 

 acres in the national forests of the United States and this area will 

 require definite silvicultural management for timber production during 

 the next half century, the remaining area for the present needing only 

 to be given adequate protection against fire. Timber management 

 requires a group of technicians to prepare management plans, deter- 

 mine sale policies, administer sales, and carry out silvicultural work 

 and stand betterment. Provision must be made for current jobs as 

 well as for development and preparation for future sales. 



The proposed expenditures for current business in timber manage- 

 ment are estimated at 0.856 cents per acre, an increase of 0.136 cents 

 over present cost (table 1). This is to take care of the administration 

 of sales of timber, which will progressively increase in amount during 

 the next 20 years. This increase in expenditure need not be made in 

 one step, but annually, as anticipated increased business actually 

 materializes. It is expected to involve finally an increase of $215,000 

 annually. 



Stand betterment is being effected at present largely in the course 

 of regular timber sales. Since the national forests were established, 

 timber sales have been made on about 1,874,000 acres of land on which 

 area betterment and improvement of the stand was possible. In the 

 next 40 years it is estimated that about 8,500,000 acres of national- 

 forest land will probably be cut over, which also will require silvi- 

 cultural treatment in connection with sales. On national-forest 

 timber sales we start with virgin forests or culled stands which are not 

 producing up to their capacity and the silvicultural task is to increase 

 volume or quality growth in the next rotation. The cost of doing this 



