1602 A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



During 1932 State and local governments spent approximately 

 $246,000 in the control of forest diseases, the major expenditures being 

 for control of the white pine blister rust, which attacks all the 5- 

 needled pines. In order to cope fully with the disease problems that 

 now exist, it is estimated that State appropriations should be increased 

 to $695,000 by 1939. Undue delay in the application of disease- 

 control measures may result in severe losses of valuable timber. 



PRODUCTION OF PLANTING STOCK 



The production of nursery stock for private tree planters is an im- 

 portant State-aid project. In the program of forest planting pre- 

 sented in this report it is recommended that at least 5.7 million acres 

 of privately owned lands be planted with forest trees within the next 

 20 years, at the rate of 285,000 acres per year. This represents prac- 

 tically twice the present rate of planting by private and public effort 

 combined. 



The planting of 285,000 acres annually, at the rate of 1,000 trees 

 per acre, requires an average annual State nursery production of 285 

 million trees. It is estimated that for the first 10 years the total cost 

 of producing the nursery stock required will amount to $1,100,000 

 annually. With the purchase of trees by private planters at half the 

 cost of production, and with a Federal-aid contribution of 25 percent 

 of the expense, the net expenditure by the States during the first 10 

 years would amount to $275,000 annually. A considerable additional 

 State nursery production would be required to grow the trees needed 

 for planting State forest lands. Since the development of adequate 

 planting stock is essential to carrying out the proposed planting pro- 

 gram, planting-stock production should be greatly expanded in the 

 immediate future. 



FORESTRY EXTENTION 



The dissemination of forestry information to forest-land owners and 

 to the general public is one of the most effective means of bringing 

 desirable forestry practices into application upon^ the widely scat- 

 tered private forest-land holdings, and is a highly important cooper- 

 ative project of Federal and State government. The contribution of 

 the States to forestry extension is notoriously inadequate as compared 

 with other forms of State aid; in 1932 the expenditures of all the States 

 for this purpose totaled $108,000. The forestry extension services 

 of the States are for the most part limited to farm forestry. Together 

 with the need for greater forestry extension service for farmers, there 

 exists a great need for more extension among other classes of forest 

 owners. It is estimated that State funds available for these activi- 

 ties should be increased to not less than $400,000 a year. 



FORESTRY EDUCATION 



The States have assumed the major responsibility for forestry- 

 education. Nineteen State universities and colleges are now con- 

 ferring degrees in forestry, and many others are giving limited forestry 

 training to agricultural and other students. It is estimated that 

 approximately $967,000 is now expended annually by the States for 

 forestry education. Some institutions give comprehensive profes- 



