38 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



January 



ing. The fact that there is on any 

 stream a certain fall within a certain 

 distance, over which flows a certain 

 amount of water, does not mean that 

 this locality constitutes an available 

 water power. Theoretically the power 

 is there, but practically it is non-exist- 

 ent unless it can be developed and 

 brought to use for a sum which is not 

 prohibitive. In other words, the avail- 

 ability of a water power depends en- 

 tirely on the economic situation at the 

 point considered, and every location 

 must be viewed by itself in such deter- 

 mination. 



It is, however, certain that on all of 

 these streams large amounts of power 

 can be easily and cheaply developed 

 when the demand for it is sufficient, 

 for the average fall in the streams is 



great, and is noticeably high at great 

 numbers of points, while the low-water 

 flow is fairly large on account of the 

 large annual rainfall and the storage 

 effect of the great forests. Further- 

 more, at many points the conditions 

 favorable for easy and cheap develop- 

 ment are present, and on some of the 

 streams surveys have been made which 

 render approximate estimates easy. 



It is safe to estimate the available 

 but undeveloped water power on the 

 streams rising among the Southern 

 Appalachian Mountains as equivalent 

 to not less than 1,000,000 horse power. 

 and the developed power is 120,000. 

 The future value of these water pow- 

 ers, as, indeed, the future value of 

 almost anything of value about these 

 mountains, depends largely upon pres- 

 ervation of the forests. 



SUGGESTIONS FOR FOREST POLICY* 



BY 



ARTHUR P. DAVIS 



Assistant Chief Engineer, U. S. Reclamation Service. 



IT IS gratifying to note that the 

 1 American public is now thorough- 

 ly alive to the necessity of preserving 

 and fostering its forest resources. 

 This valuable public sentiment should 

 be utilized to the utmost by the lead- 

 ers of the movement to secure needed 

 legislation to stop the devastation of 

 our forests and secure the renewal of 

 those already destroyed. 



To this end the first and most im- 

 perative step is to stop, at once and 

 forever, the alienation of the public 

 forest lands. Every acre of forest land 

 in public ownership should be includ- 

 ed in a forest reserve and a scientific 

 control exercised over the grazing and 

 cutting thereon. This policy should 

 have been adopted forty years ago. 

 There is no excuse for further delay. 

 Private lands bearing forests should 



be added to these reserves as fast as 

 practicable and they should be made 

 nucleii for forest extension by planting 

 and cultivation. 



Much has been truly said in con- 

 demnation of the fraudulent entries of 

 valuable timberland under the Timber 

 and Stone Act. Without excusing the 

 frauds, it must be admitted that the 

 primary blame rests with the law. Un- 

 der present law there is no way to ob- 

 tain leave to cut timber except by 

 acquiring title to the land. No one can 

 file on more than 160 acres, and this 

 area is entirely too small to furnish a 

 timber supply to a modern sawmill. 

 To secure such a supply of timber as 

 will justify the establishment of such 

 a mill as can be profitably operated, it 

 is necessary to obtain control of thous- 

 ands of acres of timber, and under 



*Read at Annual Meeting of the American Forestry Association, Washington, D. C, 

 January 16 and 17. 



