and he is hereby, directed to report to the Senate on 

 or before June 1, 1920, on the following matters, us- 

 ing what information the Forest Service now has 

 available, or what may be obtained readily with its 

 existing organization : 



1. The facts as to the depletion of timber, pulp- 

 wood, and other forest resources in the United States. 



2. Whether, and to what extent, this affects the 

 present high cost of materials. 



3. Whether the export of lumber, especially of 

 hardwoods, jeopardizes our domestic industries. 



1. Whether the reported depletion tends to in- 

 crease the concentration of ownership in timber lands 

 and the manufacture of lumber, and to what extent; 

 and if such concentration exists, how it affects or 

 may affect the public welfare. 

 Foreword 



Such facts as these, based on the most complete 

 data so far collected in this country, are not to be 

 denied. They need little explanation or comment. To 

 any one who cares to see, their purport is self evident ; 

 to those who do not want to see, attempted explana- 

 tions are useless. 



The state is already spending millions each year for 

 the importation of wood. This amount must inevit- 

 ably increase steadily and rapidly as our local supply 

 declines and our population increases. 



We can do one of three things: continue to pay 

 out money for imports and freight ; go without lum- 

 ber; or grow trees on the millions of idle acres we 

 have on our hands and keep our money at home. It 

 does not take much of an economist to see which is 



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