the wisest emirse, a ml the decision is in our own 

 1m nds. AVhieh shall it be? 



Summary of the Report 



The following letter from the Secretary of Agricul- 

 ture transmitting the report to the Senate gives a 

 fairly good summary of its contents. 



LETTERS OF TRANSMITTAL 



June 1, 1920. 

 The President of the United States Senate. 



sir: I have the honor to submit herewith a report 

 on forest depletion in the United States, prepared by 

 the Forest Service in this department pursuant to 

 Senate resolution 311. 



This resolution requests information on: 



1. The depletion of timber in the United States. 



2. The effects of timber depletion upon the high 

 cost of materials. 



I. The effects of lumber exports upon domestic 

 industries. 



4. The effects of depletion upon the concentration 

 of timber ownership and manufacture and the rela- 

 tion of such concentration to the public welfare. 



The outstanding facts reported by the Forest Serv- 

 ice are: 



(1) That three-fifths of the original timber of the 

 United States is gone and that w r e are using timber four 

 times as fast as we are growing it. The forests remain- 

 ing are so localized as greatly to reduce their national 

 utility. The bulk of the population and manufactur- 

 ing industries of the United States are dependent up- 

 on distant supplies of timber as the result of the de- 



7 



