252 PRINCIPLES OF AMERICAN FORESTRY. 



FORESTRY VERSUS LUMBERING. 



By DR. C. A. SCHENCK. 



Suppose fate's kindness should make you the owner 

 of 200,000 acres of virgin pine forests, containing 1,200 

 million feet of lumber, somewhere in Arkansas or Georgia. 

 If you are a lumberman, you will erect a plant of about 

 100 million feet annual output, you will convert the entire 

 stumpage within twelve years into gold standard money, 

 and you will then look out for another field to employ 

 both your money and your grit. The land, the little 

 duchy of 200.000 acres you used to own well, you throw 

 it away; denuded of timber of it is not worth the taxes. 



If you are a forester, you will start in a similar way; 

 you will erect, perhaps, a plant of somewhat smaller 

 capacity, say of 80 million feet per annum; a good mill 

 you must have, for you want to cut all of the old timber 

 which has stopped growing, which is approaching its nat- 

 ural limit of life, and convert it into money as rapidly 

 as possible. One thousand million feet of the 1,200 million 

 you are likely to find consisting of mature and hypermature 

 trees. In 12^ years your mill will have consumed them. 

 The 200 million originally left on the ground consist 

 of thrifty trees growing at an annual rate of about 5 per 

 cent. In 12$ years, at that rate, they have developed 

 into 360 million. In addition, the young trees originally 

 overlooked have grown into size worth tallying; at the end 

 of the 124^ years' campaign you are likely to find 200 

 million of them. Of course the forest then contains 

 smaller and less timber than there was found at the start. 

 But all of it is thrifty and surrounded by an abundant 

 progeny of sapling-size, ready to shoot ahead as soon as 

 the "parents" have been removed. 



