EDITORIAL 



LUMBERMEN TURNING TO FORESTRY 



A MERICAN lumbering is in the early stages of evolu- 

 -^*- tion. It is turning to the principles of forestry. 

 This trend may not be perceptible to the average citizen. 

 It probably is not, but it is nevertheless true that in al- 

 most every timber region of the United States lumbermen 

 may be found w^ho have, within the past five years, 

 turned to some form of forest management. Their 

 number, of course, is relatively small, but their action 

 is highly significant. They have not been prompted 

 by sentiment. They have studied the ground, looked into 

 the future, and have made up their minds that forestry 

 embodies the business principles with which to meet 

 economic changes pressing in upon them. 



In the last issue of American Forestry, mention was 

 made of the fact that some of the largest of the redwood 

 companies had just decided to apply forest management 

 to their lands. Down in the piney woods of the South 

 the same trend is in evidence. The Director of the 

 Southern Experiment Station is authority for the follow- 

 ing statement : 



"The best proof we can present that some measure 

 of forestry is at least feasible, and frequently profitable, 

 is the surprisingly large number of southern pine manu- 

 facturers who are today putting into effect on their own 

 land measures very like our requirements. The Jackson 

 Lumber Company of Lockhart, Alabama, has since the 

 beginning cut no trees below a high diameter limit, now 

 about 20 inches. The Kaul Liunber Company of Bir- 

 mingham, Alabama, for years followed a plan of con- 

 servative cutting drawn up by the Forest Service in 

 1906, and has gone back to it again after the lapse of a 



few years during the war. The Alger-Sullivan Lumber 

 Company, Century, Florida, has very recently begun 

 work on a forestry program. 



"The Allison Lumber Company of Bellamy, I am 

 told, has gotten to the point where they are confident 

 of being able to keep fire out of their slash and to pre- 

 serve the young growth for a future crop. The Tatum 

 Lumber Company of Jackson and the Batson-McGhee 

 Company of Millard, both in Mississippi, have been 

 cutting conservatively for several years and attempting 

 fire protection on their lands. Most of you are familiar 

 with the policy of the Great Southern Lumber Company 

 in reproducing its forests as a basis for making Bogalusa 

 a permanent city. I have already mentioned the Urania 

 Lumber Company which for several years has been 

 preaching and above all practicing forestry in Louisiana." 



In the Lake States no less keen and practical a man 

 than Henry Ford is practicing forestry not as a fad 

 but as a part of his automobile business. In the North- 

 east, a number of lumber and pulp companies have em- 

 ployed foresters and are proceeding along lines of per- 

 manent operations. These men are real leaders in their 

 chosen fields. They are the vanguard of the industry's 

 progressive wing. They are practical, far-seeing men, 

 whose example belies the declaration of many lumbermen 

 for years that forestry is not practicable. For these 

 pioneers in the practice of forestry in this country, Amer- 

 ican Forestry has the greatest admiration, and it be- 

 speaks for them the public recognition and cooperation 

 which they justly deserve. 



'WE MUST HAVE FORESTS 







T T IS probable that there will be no legislation enacted 

 ' at this session of Congress, providing for a national 

 forest policy. A number of reasons are advanced by 

 those in close touch with legislative progress at the 

 Capitol. Chief of these is that forestry legislation, 

 although recognized as a large and important national 

 problem, is not a part of the present administration's 

 legislative program for this session. Another reason 

 given is that thumbs are supposed to the down on new 

 legislation which will increase public expenditures, par- 

 ticularly if is does not bear the approval of the Bureau 

 of the Budget. 



Members of the House Committee on Agriculture, 

 before which exhaustive hearings on the Snell Bill were 

 held in January, frankly admit that there is little chance 

 of the Committee reporting out a bill of any kind at 

 this session. It is known that the Committee is divided 

 as to the character of legislation which should be recom- 

 mended. What is more unfortunate, it apparently has 

 not made a determined effort to reconcile differences and 



to draft a bill which would be acceptable and would 

 lay the legislative ground-work for the development 

 of a broader and more inclusive policy later. That is 

 the least that could be done. 



Unquestionably public pressure has been insufficient 

 to arouse the committee to action. The situation is 

 disappointing but it is by no means a cause for discour- 

 agement. It points to the need of renewed efforts on 

 a larger and more aggressive scale than ever. The 

 hearings thus far held have not been time lost or energy 

 wasted. They mark a step forward. They have brought 

 the subject into the foreground. They have served to 

 clarify and to bring home as never before the far reaching 

 effect of forest depletion. The need for action has been 

 presented in the people's court. 



Now is the time to prepare for a greater and more 

 inclusive campaign next winter when Congress again 

 convenes. A tremendous sentiment for forestry is de- 

 veloping throughout the country. Industrial organiza- 

 tions are more and more recognizing the forest problem 



