PRACTICABILITY OF FOREST PLANTING IN THE 

 UNITED STATES. 



By WILLIAM L. HALL, 

 Chief of Division of Forest Extension, Bureau of Forestry. 



INTRODUCTION. 



While it can not be said as jet that forest planting is practicable 

 for the United States as a whole, it does apply to a large part of the 

 country, and is of constantly increasing importance. The purposes for 

 which forest planting is practicable differ so widely for different parts 

 of the country that the subject will be considered here with reference 

 to the several regions of the United States, in each of which the objects 

 of planting are closely related. 



The considerations which determine the practicability of planting 

 as a part of forestry for any specific region are the following: 



(1) The present supply of useful timber. 



(2) The need of the forest to provide shelter, protect the soil, or 

 conserve moisture. 



(3) The capacity of the forest to produce another crop, either unaided 

 by man or aided in ways less expensive than planting. 



(4) The value of the ground for other purposes than forest growth. 



(5) The protection which can be given from fire or other grave 

 dangers. 



(6) Indications as to a fair return on the investment. 



Other considerations in the past carried great weight, though they 

 are now largely removed. One of these was the lack of information 

 as to the habits and requirements of forest trees, in consequence of 

 which forest planting was merely an experiment. Sufficient informa- 

 tion is now available to make success almost a certainty in the planting 

 of a large number of our most valuable trees. If the individual 

 has not the needed information he may easily get it from his more 

 experienced neighbor or from the foresters of the State or the National 

 Government. So, too, the question of market has become less prob- 

 lematic than in the past. The timber owner now has a market for 

 many kinds of timber for which there was no sale twenty-five years 

 ago. 



As the uncertain factors in planting have been cleared away, the 

 area for which planting is practicable has steadily enlarged. It will 

 now pay to plant in localities where ten years ago it would have been 



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