98 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



ices of nearly one thousand employes to aid in control 

 work for short periods aggregating about twenty thou- 

 sand man-days and valued at $70,000 to $80,000. Forest 

 fire associations offered similar help during periods when 

 weather conditions permit. Lumbermen's a3sociations 

 stand ready to contribute funds and any needed assist- 

 ance, as well as exterminating any blister rust infection 

 found on their own or adjacent holdings. A committee 

 consisting of W. D. Humiston, chairman ; C. A. Clark, 

 H. V. Barss and C. S. Chapman as executive secretary, 

 was elected to carry out the plans of the conference. The 

 general sentiment was that the situation was serious, but 

 had many hopeful elements, and that prompt action will 

 prevent general infection such as has occurred in the 

 East. 



The situation in the eastern white pine area is both 

 darker and brighter. It is darker because the spread of 

 blister rust infection has been so great during the past 

 few years that the disease is now general throughout the 

 white pine regions of New England and northeastern 

 New York, and portions of Wisconsin and Minnesota. 



The bulk of the white pines are still free from infection, 

 but it can be found in almost any pine lot north of a line 

 running from Boston to Lake George. The infection 

 that hit the pines in 1919 was heavier than ever before, 

 and the results will be serious to the pine in the infected 

 regions if currants and gooseberries remain in proximit\ 

 to the pine. The principal danger lies in pine owners 

 remaining in ignorance of the true conditions until it is 

 too late to save the existing pine crop. 



The bright side of the situation is that the results of 

 control work done in 1916-18 prove conclusively that the 

 blister rust can be effectively controlled at moderate 

 cost. The methods are simple to learn and any white 

 pine woodlot may be protected. All that is required is 

 to pull up wild and cultivated currant and gooseberry 

 bushes that grow within 900 feet of the pines to be pro- 

 tected. Investigation during the past year has shown 

 that this action is entirely effective in preventing further 

 ravages of the blister rust in those areas where the work 

 was done systematically. 



OUR VANISHING TIMBER SUPPLY A SERIOUS PROBLEM 



THE outstanding points in our present serious situa- 

 tion as to timber supply are the disappearance of 

 three-fifths of the virgin forests of the country, a present 

 drain upon our remaining forests over four times their 

 yearly production of wood, and the accumulation of 

 enormous areas of denuded and idle forest lands," says 

 Chief Forester W. B. Greeley in his annual report to the 

 Secretary of Agriculture. 



"The past year," according to the report, "has been 

 notable for general discussion of the forestry situation 

 in both its national and local aspects and the considera- 

 tion of remedies. To a considerable degree this discus- 

 sion has centered around proposed measures of Federal 

 legislation. 



"It is increasingly evident," says Colonel Greeley, 

 "that whatever legislation may be enacted and whatever 

 governmental agencies may be involved, two principles 

 must be recognized in putting the United States upon 

 a self-sustaining basis in timber production. The first 

 is that, because of the long-term nature of timber crops 

 and the foresight necessary to meet future national needs, 

 the public has an interest in forest lands not common to 

 most forms of private property and most comparable 

 to its interest in the operation of recognized public utili- 

 ties. This public interest must be satisfied in the manner 

 of handling forest lands. The second principle is that 

 the production of timber is an economic process, govern- 

 ed by economic laws. 



"The State or the Nation may insist that forest 

 lands be productive rather than idle ; but in so doing it 

 can not avoid its own responsibility for reducing the 

 general risks and losses attendant upon timber produc- 

 tion, which have often made it a hazardous or unprofita- 

 ble mulertaking. The two outstanding respects in which 

 public co-operation with the land owner is necessary, as a 



coVollary to regulating the use of his property, are or- 

 ganized protection against forest fires and the adjustment 

 of taxes on timber lands so as to secure their employment 

 for growing successive crops. 



"The Forest Service has initiated this year an impor- 

 tant step toward the restoration of America's forests," 

 declares the forester. "This is a comprehensive study 

 of the requirements in protection and reforestation nec- 

 essary to keep forest lands productive in each important 

 region of the United States. This study has been un- 

 dertaken in co-operation with the State foresters, tim- 

 berland owners, representatives of forest industry or- 

 ganizations, and forest schools. Its purpose is to put in 

 concrete terms just what 'forestry regulations' mean, 

 in the southern pine belt, Appalachian hardwoods, or the 

 Lake States. Instead of dealing in general terms, it will 

 bring the forestry movement down to specific things 

 which are to be done in the woods, as minimum stan- 

 dards. 



The subjects for Federal legislation now most urgent, 

 according to the Chief Forester, are : 



(1) The extension of Federal cooperation in the pro- 

 tection of all classes of forest land from fire ; such co- 

 operation not to be limited to the watersheds of navi- 

 gable streams, as at present, but to be available on all 

 forest lands within States prepared to join in co-operative 

 efforts. (2) The extension of public forest ownership 

 by incorporating within National Forests public lands 

 not under Federal ownership or control which are adapt- 

 ed primarily to growing timber or the protection of wa- 

 tersheds ; by acquiring cut-over forest lands within or ad- 

 joining National Forests through exchanges ; and by 

 l^urchasing forest lands with a view both to the pro- 

 tection of navigable watersheds and to the restoration of 

 forests on areas now denuded and idle. 



