it is ever to be made economically productive. 



8. If the forest lands of the State had been under 

 forest management instead of being neglected, it is 

 estimated by foresters that the lumber industry of 

 Massachusetts would be capable of employing 20,000 

 more men than at present, which would mean an in- 

 crease in population of 100,000, and a payroll increase 

 of twelve to fifteen million dollars annually. It will 

 take a generation or more to bring back these lands 

 into the profit producing class, but it must be done 

 if we are to retain a lumber industry in Massachu- 

 setts. It is likewise essential for the preservation of 

 mil' wood-using manufacturers. 



9. State Forests will not mean that the State is 

 going into the lumber business, because the lumbering 

 will be done by private concerns, operating under 

 cutting contracts in keeping with forestry principals, 

 which will insure a continuous forest growth. Under 

 the present system the land is stripped of all mer- 

 chantable timber without regard for the future crop. 

 This method of cutting has been responsible for a 

 great part of our present "waste land." 



10. State Forests will stabilize the lumber industry, 

 increase employment in the rural communities, en- 

 courage the small farmers to redeem abandoned farms 

 in the outlying districts, and at the same time 

 protect the water power, the wood using industries 

 and the drinking water of the Commonwealth. 



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