278 AMKRICAN 



If the industries of Texas are alive to tlieir own future 

 welfare, they will lend vigorous support to a policy 

 which proposes to put the cut-over lands of the state to 

 work producing timber. There are in Texas approxi- 

 mately six million acres of cut-over forest land, of which 

 two million acres contain young growth. The remain- 

 ing four million acres are practically unproductive hut 



I'ORESTRY 



could be reforested naturally if given adequate ))ro- 

 tection from fire. In the whole state the present annual 

 growth of saw timber is only 170,000,000 feet, while the 

 oil industry of Texas alone uses almost double that 

 amount of wood annually. Loss of economic independ- 

 ence, so far as a local supply of wood is concerned, is 

 close at hand for the industries of Texas. 



TENNESSEE MAKES FORESTRY EDUCATION COMPULSORY 



TKNNliSSEE has joined the ranks of progressive 

 states in i)utting forestry in the public schools. In- 

 deed, the south seems to have taken the lead in this 

 rlirection, both Louisiana and Tennessee now having 

 laws requiring the teaching of forestry to the children 

 of their schools. .Although many state organizations are 

 doing admirable work in the general pronation and en- 

 couragement of forestry education in the public schools 

 and several states have laws providing for the teaching 

 of fire prevention, the new law in Tennessee goes much 

 further. It makes it compulsory for every public school 

 in the state to give a course in forestry and plant life. 

 The scope of the law is largely expressed in Section 1 of 

 the Act, which reads as follows : 



"Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the State of 

 Tennessee, that the curriculum of every public school in 

 this state shall include a study of forestry and plant life 

 which shall be taught therein and which study shall in- 

 clude the names and varieties of trees grown in the state. 

 their age of maturity, their value to the soil, to animals 

 and birds, and when possible or practical the children of 



FORESTRY AND 



T l-" plans now being considered by a number of strong 

 - lumber companies in California mature, permanent 

 forest management for a large portion of the redwood re- 

 gion will be assured. One of the largest of the redwood 

 companies the Union Lumber Company has already 

 definitely decided to handle its redwood lands on a plan 

 of continuous timber production and it is now establish- 

 ing a forest nursery for the production of planting stock 

 for its cut over lands. Five other large companies are 

 investigating the possibilities of applying permanent for- 

 est management to their properties. These six com- 

 l)anies represent more than 50 per cent of the redwood 

 production. 



This movement should be of nation-wide interest be- 

 cause it carries with it not only assurances of a perma- 

 nent supply of redwood a wonderfully adaptive wood 

 but more than that, the perpetuation of vast stretches 

 of redwood forests. The destruction of these forests, 

 limited in range and of world-wide interest, has brought 

 forth much public protest. They are indeed the wonder 

 forests of the nation and the destruction of them wrought 

 by lumbering is a sickening sight. Rut they represent 

 huge investments by their owners who assert they cannot 

 afford to donate them to the public or hold them as exhi- 

 bition forests. The public, on the other hand, has thus 

 far not been able financially to buy them at a fair ap- 

 praisal. Permanent forest management, therefore, offers 

 one solution to the situation and while it will not fully 

 meet the views of those who desire to see the redwoods 

 left in their virgin state, it will at least provide per- 



such schools be given an object lesson in study of fores- 

 try by one or more visits during each semi-annual session 

 to some conveniently located forests and there instructed 

 and taught by their respective teachers or some compe- 

 tent person selected for such puri)ose." 



The act further provides that each pupil, unless ex- 

 cused by the teacher, shall be required to write at least 

 one short story or essay on forestry during the year. Ten- 

 nessee is to be complimented for its recognition of the 

 importance of forestry. In Europe, children appreciate 

 the value of forests and the need of forestry. They de- 

 velop what has been termed a "forestry sense" early in 

 life because forest culture is a part of their community 

 environment. That will come in America in time and 

 the children of today, who acquire a true appreciation of 

 forests, will be not only better citizens tomorrow but they 

 will be better able to meet the important forest problems 

 with which this country must cope during the next 

 twenty-five years. The progressive example set bv Ten- 

 nessee may well be emulated by many other states. 



THE REDWOODS 



manently, growing redwood forests in the redwood 

 range. That will be a great stej) forward. 



The redwoods are limited to approximately a million 

 and a half acres along the northwest coast of California. 

 Some 400,000 acres have already been cut over. The re- 

 maining stand is estimated at about 50 billion feet, or 

 close to an average of 60.000 feet to the acre. It is not 

 uncommon, however, for some areas to yield a cut of 

 over 100,000 feet to the acre and on rich bottom lands 

 as high as 200,000 feet. Individual- acres will exceed that 

 figure considerably. For example, there is record of one 

 acre from which over one million feet of logs was cut. 



In many respects redwood lends itself to forest man- 

 agement. It is one of the most rapidly growing trees 

 in the United States. On average quality soil it will pro- 

 duce about 40,000 feet to the acre in 50 years. The wood 

 is suitable for many different uses and it holds out great 

 l)0ssibilities for the recovery of valuable by-products 

 from both its thick bark and from the wood waste re- 

 sulting from luml)ering. Although the young trees are 

 damaged by fire, the other growth is very fire resistant. 

 Regeneration of cut over lands, however, cannot be left 

 wholly to nature. Only about twenty per cent of the 

 cut-over area will be forested naturally by sprouts from 

 redwood stumps. The remainder of the area must be 

 reforested artificially, in order to get satisfactory stock- 

 ing. 



If the plans now in the making are carried out and the 

 redwood projjerties put under real forest management, 

 the redwood lumbermen will thereby gain nation wide 

 approbation an asset of no small moment. 



