ENGLAND'S FUTURE FORESTS 



SINCE the outbreak of war, the need for conserving 

 and augmenting the supply of home-grown timber 

 in England has been amply demonstrated, and the 

 possibilities in this direction are fully explored in the 

 report which has just been presented by the Forestry 

 Sub-committee of the Reconstruction Committee, says 

 the London Daily Telegraph of January 9. They strong- 

 ly urge the adoption of a State afforestation policy, both 

 as a measure of war precaution and as a means towards 

 national improvement and social benefit, pointing out 

 that the case for such a policy, on these as well as on 

 financial grounds, is well-nigh unanswerable. 



A scheme of State planting is therefore recommended 

 which in an emergency would keep the United Kingdom 

 independent of imported timber for three years on a 

 present-day war basis of consumption. The total cost 

 for the first ten years would be about 3,500,000, allow- 

 ing not only for the direct cost of afforestation, but for 

 all incidental charges for administration, education, and 

 research. It is estimated that there are not less than 

 three and probably more than five million of acres of 

 land utilized for rough grazing, but capable of growing 

 first-class timber of the same character as that imported. 

 Of this area 2,000,000 acres could be put under timber 

 without decreasing the home production of meat by more 

 than 0.7 per cent, and it would ultimately give employ- 

 ment to at least ten times the number of men now em- 

 ployed by grazing. 



Below are the principal points of the scheme recom- 

 mended by the sub-committee : 



It is proposed to afforest 1,770,000 acres. Taking 

 eighty years as the average rotation, two-thirds of the 

 whole should be planted in the first forty years. 



From the fifteenth year onwards the scheme would be- 

 gin to provide pitwood from the quicker growing species 

 on the better kinds of mountain land. 



By the fortieth year the plantations made in the first 

 ten years alone would contain enough timber to keep our 

 pits supplied in emergency for two years at the present 

 rate of consumption. 



The total cost for the first forty years may be 15,- 

 000,000. After that time the scheme should be self-sup- 

 porting. 



The whole sum involved is therefore less than half the 

 direct loss (37,000,000) incurred during the years 1915 

 and 1 91 6 through dependence on imported timber. 



A Forestry Commission (represented in the House of 

 Commons) would have charge of the work, and there 

 would be Consultative Committees for England, Wales, 

 Scotland, and Ireland. 



It is estimated that the scheme would result ultimately 

 in the settlement on the land of not less than 25,000 

 families, or 125,000 persons in all. 



More important from a war point of view than the enor- 

 mously enhanced cost of imported'timber in 191 5 and 1916 

 was the amount of tonnage absorbed by these imports, 



which the report states at 7,000,000 net tons of shipping, 

 equivalent to approximately 14,000,000 tons dead weight. 



It is pointed out that should the Government wish to 

 employ the maximum number of men discharged from 

 the services during the period of demobilization, the rate 

 of planting might be greatly speeded up. The sub-com- 

 mittee propose that at least 150,000 acres of the initial 

 250,000 should be planted by direct State action, and that 

 for the remainder (left to local bodies and private land- 

 owners) there should be State assistance and control. 



It is suggested that the Forestry Commission should 

 consist of six members, three of them whole-time salaried 

 officials, the others unpaid. For carrying out the scheme 

 forest officers, foresters, and foremen would be required, 

 and would have to be trained. It is recommended that 

 the Commission should undertake the general control of 

 forestry education, and should maintain "demonstration 

 woods" for practical work. 



Touching on the present position of our home re- 

 sources, the sub-committee states: "The war has dis- 

 closed no demand which could not have been satisfied by 

 timber grown in this country with its favorable soil and 

 climate and abundance of waste land. It is only a ques- 

 tion of time before the whole of the country's growing 

 timber which is fit for commercial use must disappear. 

 The result is a depletion which the Government cannot 

 afford to neglect. This country, poorer in timber at the 

 beginning of the war than any other European country 

 except Portugal, will be more destitute still at its close. 

 Even if every acre felled is replanted, it will be many 

 years before the present output can be repeated." 



The sub-committee point out that, among other advant- 

 ages which may be expected from the adoption of an ex- 

 tensive national scheme of afforestation are the following : 



That by afforesting only a portion, namely, 2,000,000 

 acres, of the 4,000,000 or 5,000,000 acres available (without 

 encroaching on food producing land, we should, in from 

 fifty to sixty years, be largely self-supporting in the mat- 

 ter of timber, both for military and commercial purposes, 

 and to a great extent independent of imported timber. 



That this would result in : (a) The retention of money 

 at home for expenditure on a home industry of great 

 importance; and (b) The profitable utilization of very 

 considerable areas of land in this country now almost 

 entirely unprofitable. 



That afforestation would provide employment for an 

 increased rural population, and that such population 

 would also be available for agriculture and food produc- 

 tion, either on farms or small holdings. 



That the employment of a larger rural population under 

 the best and healthiest conditions would result in great 

 benefit to the general health and well-being of the nation. 



It is announced that the Minister of Reconstruction is 

 now giving careful consideration to the report with a 

 view to ascertaining how far and by what means effect 

 may be given to the sub-committee's recommendations. 



