The Problem of Forestry* 



By Henry S. Graves, Chief Forester of the United States. 



When this country was first settled there 

 Mas a forest unequalled anywhere in the 

 world. It stretched in an almost unbroken 

 mass from the Atlantic Ocean half across 

 the continent; there was an extensive forest 

 on the higher ranges of the Rocky Moun- 

 tains, and on the Pacific coast a broad band 

 of forest of unparalleled development. The 

 original forests were remarkable not only 

 for their vast extent, but also for the great 

 number of valuable species composing them, 

 and their enormous yield in useful material. 

 The forest contained trees of great fize and 

 age. Nature working through centuries had 

 provitled a vast storehouse of timber fully 

 grown and ready for use when required. 

 It is upon this supply that the American 

 people have been drawing for four cen- 

 turies. It has constituted a source of great 

 wealth and has been an important element 

 in the internal development of tW country 

 and in the extension of its commerce. 



When the country was first settled the 

 effort was to remove the forest for agricul- 

 ture. With the increase of population there 

 naturally arose a <lemand for products and 

 the timber was cut for use and not merely 

 destroyed. The first lumbering for use took 

 only the choicest trees in the forest. As 

 trees were selected here and there, but 

 little tlamage was done to the forest. As 

 the demand for timber increased the forests 

 near settlements and accessible for trans- 

 portation were cut through again. The pro- 

 cess went on until the modern methods of 

 lumbering were introduced, which make 

 very heavy inroads into the forest, often 

 removing every tree. 



As the country <ieveloped, forest fires be- 

 came an increasing menace to the forest. 

 The majority of the hnnbered lands were 

 burned over and usually at the same time 

 immense areaH of uncut timber. As long as 

 there were still vast areas of virgin forest, 

 but little thought was given to the loss by 

 fires. But as in one state after another the 

 original forest was cut away or burned 

 away, people began to realize that a halt 

 must be called, and that very vigorously. 



Investigations have shown that since 1870 

 an average of over 50,000,000 acres were 

 being burned over every year, with an an- 

 nual Iocs of from 50 to 100 millions of 

 dollars. 



Use of wood and future supplies. 



The United States is essentially a wood- 

 using nation. Lumber has been so plentiful 

 and cheap that we use wood for many pur- 



poses for which other nations use other 

 material. Our per capita consumption of 

 wood is seven times that of Germany. Forty 

 eight thousand sawmills are at work supply- 

 ing this material. There would be no need 

 of anxiety about our extravagant use of 

 timber if there were an adequate supply. 

 We are drawing on our capital, and through 

 failure to practice forestry our forests are 

 not producing by new growth within one 

 third of \\hat we actually use, let alone 



MR. II. S. GRAVES. 



the amount lost by fire and by waste. In 

 other words, we are actually using up our 

 forest supplies, and that very rapidly. 



There is often an impression that there 

 is a great supply in Canada and in the 

 West which may be drawn iij)on after v\e 

 have used up our eastern supplies. No 

 greater mistake could be made. The forests 

 of Canada are far from inexhaustible. The 

 ('ana«lians are wasting their resources as 

 fast as this country is, and they will neeil 

 their forests to meet their own future re- 

 quirements. There is also a belief that the 

 Western mountains are covered with a solid 



25 



