NEWS AND NOTES 



685 



mentions output, which would weaken and 

 disturb trade generally, without accomplish- 

 ing any good to any one, and least of all to 

 the state of Idaho. Timberman. 



9S 



Farm Forests of Virginia 



One of the results of a recent study of 

 forest conditions in Virginia, made by the 

 state in cooperation with the Forest Service 

 is the publication of a report on "The Farm 

 Forests of yirginia," by W. W. Ashe, of the 

 Forest Service. This report is printed by the 

 state of Virginia. 



After reviewing the general forest situation 

 in Virginia, and showing that the state must 

 ultimately face the problem of producing 

 wood for home consumption, since her neigh- 

 bors are not prepared to raise surplus tim- 

 ber, Mr. Ashe takes up the possibilities of- 

 fered in the state for successful woodlot 

 management on the farms. In many re- 

 spects, he points out, the farmer is in a better 

 position to make his forests profitable than 

 is the owner of large tracts. "Low-grade 

 timber in many sections has onlv a nominal 

 value, on account of the lack of extensive 

 nearby markets. In this respect, the farmer 

 is advantageously situated, since he has a 

 constant though limited demand on his farm 

 for low-grade wood for fuel and for ordinary 

 buildings, and can save his best timber for 

 the market. 



"Forest fires endanger young growth, and 

 fire protection is costly to the individual and 

 difficult to put into effect. In the case of 

 the farm forests, most of the forest land is 

 isolated in bodies separated by fields, and 

 this danger is much reduced. In the western 

 counties, however, where the forest lands of 

 many owners who have their farms in the 



valleys lie together on the mountains, pro- 

 tection from fire becomes the most important 

 problem, on account of the great difficulty 

 of preventing and extinguishing the fires and 

 the enormous damage done by them to young 

 timber. This difficulty can be met by coop- 

 eration among landowners to secure wardens 

 and patrols, and by obtaining more effective 

 forest fire legislation. 



"While the farmer cannot become a for- 

 ester, he can acquire the general principles 

 of managing timberlands. On account of his 

 own need for fuel and for low-grade tim- 

 ber, and in addition frequently a nearby town 

 market as well, he can use the tops of trees 

 and small and defective trees. He can in- 

 crease the yield and improve the quality of 

 timber in a stand by thinnings ; he can carry 

 on improvement cuttings to remove dead, de- 

 fective, and low-grade trees ; he can cut so 

 as to determine or affect the character of the 

 young growth ; he can plant small openings 

 with seedlings of desirable species." 



The report then describes the character of 

 the three types of forests that are found in 

 the Tidewater region, the Piedmont region, 

 and the Mountain region, respectively, and 

 takes up the ways and means of increasing 

 the value of the farm forests. 



"The most important problem in connec- 

 tion with the conservation of the present 

 farm forests and the maintenance of an 

 abundant and cheap supply of timber for fu- 

 ture domestic use are : 



"i. Protection of the forests, especially of 

 the second growth, from fire. 



"2. Development and maintenance of farm 

 forests. 



"3. The use of idle and waste lands by 

 forest planting. 



"4. Education in forestry for farmers." 



