80 OUR NATIONAL FORESTS 



per acre in 50 years, worth at least $10 per thou- 

 sand feet, or $465 per acre. Figuring the cost of 

 planting and the cost of care and protection per 

 acre per year at 3 per cent, compound interest gives 

 a total cost of $34.07 per acre at the time the timber 

 is cut and a net profit of $8.62 per acre per year. 

 Douglas fir in the Northwest will produce 81,000 

 board feet in 80 years, worth at least $8.50 per 

 thousand feet. After deducting all expenses this 

 would leave a net profit of $555.30 in 80 years or 

 about $6.94 per acre per year. These profits are 

 indeed large, considering that the land is not ca- 

 pable of producing cereal or vegetable crops profit- 

 ably. And it must be remembered that in all the 

 above calculations all the money invested is earning 

 3 per cent, compound interest and that the net 

 profits are the earnings in excess of this 3 per cent, 

 interest. 



The little trees that are set out on the National 

 Forests every year are produced in large nurseries, 

 where they are grown by the millions. In these 

 nurseries the little trees receive the most expert care 

 from the time the seeds germinate until the time 

 they are large enough to withstand the rigors of 

 wind and weather on the barren hillsides of Uncle 



