Large Private Holdings in the North 



good primary and secondary roads; a 

 high percentage of the timber that is 

 grown can be marketed. 



6. Land values in keeping with pro- 

 ductivity. Probably forest land is as 

 reasonably priced now in the North 

 as in any other section of the country; 

 it is possible therefore for owners seri- 

 ously interested in undertaking inten- 

 sive forestry to purchase forest lands 

 at prices that are not excessive, in view 

 of the income that may be expected. 



7. Manageable insect and disease 

 problems. The North has had several 

 devastating attacks by forest-insect 

 pests and diseases the chestnut blight, 

 the spruce budworm, larch sawfly, Le- 

 Conte sawfly, forest tent caterpillar, 

 white pine blister rust, gypsy moth, 

 beech scale, birch dieback, white-pine 

 weevil, and others. Only the chestnut 

 blight has eliminated a species, and 

 even in that case forest recovery was 

 rapid through quick expansion of asso- 

 ciated forest trees. Modern control 

 techniques and good management can 

 keep losses moderate, and easy access 

 permits salvaging of damaged timber. 



8. Forests that respond rapidly to 

 good management. Only foresters of 

 long experience in managing a specific 

 forest area can fully appreciate the 

 point. An outstanding example is the 

 Pack Demonstration Forest at War- 

 rensburg, N. Y. a property built up 

 of abandoned farms. For more than 

 20 years the forest has largely paid its 

 own way through receipts from timber 

 harvested and processed. Capital val- 

 ues in terms of stumpage meanwhile 

 have been accruing annually at the 

 rate of $2 an acre. The property now 

 supports one family for each 200 acres 

 of land, with only one-half the growth 

 being harvested. Agriculture in much 

 of New York can do little better. 



9. High prices for timber. On record 

 are prices for ash and oak stumpage as 

 high as $35 and $65 a thousand board 

 feet; white oak of stave quality has 

 brought $100. The ordinary run of 

 timber in the North normally sells for 

 higher prices than comparable quali- 

 ties in the West and South. 



802062 49 19 



2 73 



THE OUTLOOK for private forestry in 

 the North appears bright, considering 

 the progress of the past 10 or 15 years. 

 Forest lands are gradually being con- 

 solidated into stronger and more per- 

 manent hands. Pulp and paper com- 

 panies particularly are taking over 

 large areas of the valuable timber- 

 growing land tributary to their mills. 

 A few progressive lumber companies 

 and some private foresters and invest- 

 ors have undertaken intensive forestry 

 programs on lands they hold. Fores- 

 ters are achieving places of high 

 prominence in the timber-operating 

 companies of the North and they are 

 encouraging their companies to prac- 

 tice good forestry on the land they own 

 and on lands near their operations. 



Difficulties exist, to be sure. Progress 

 has not all been permanent. Com- 

 panies and private individuals that 

 started out bravely on a good forest 

 program have abandoned it for one 

 reason or another and have reverted to 

 the indifferent practices of the past. 

 The number of new operators that are 

 taking up forestry, however, exceeds 

 those that are dropping out. The 

 movement is in the right direction. 

 High-quality timber is scarce through- 

 out the North. Operators pay high 

 prices for it. The increased importance 

 of veneers, wood turnings, and other 

 novelty products that bring high prices 

 and yet can be made from timber in 

 relatively small sizes has improved po- 

 tential market outlets for managed 

 forests. Markets for pole-sized timber 

 such as would be taken out in thin- 

 nings and for low-grade hardwoods 

 that should be removed in improve- 

 ment cuttings remain spotty. Until 

 these can be stabilized in each im- 

 portant timber-producing locality, for- 

 estry is not on a secure basis. 



The trends in forest-land ownership 

 may or may not be considered desir- 

 able. Gradually forest land is drifting 

 into the hands of large owners, pri- 

 marily pulp and paper companies. A 

 large volume of timber still exists in 

 the hands of farmers and other small 

 owners. These lands are mostly too 



