AMERICAN FOREST CONGRESS 101 



who is practicing forestry to rim his plant at a loss, 

 or suspend operations until the conditions of supply 

 and demand were favorable. 



About two years ago a number of gentlemen who 

 were large holders of timber lands made an effort to 

 consolidate practically all of the larger yellow pine 

 holdings of the South into a single timber company, 

 contemplating the cutting and sale of timber to lumber 

 manufacturers under the application of forestry. That 

 is, that the amount of timber in one year should not 

 exceed the amount produced, except where the land 

 would produce greater returns as agriculture, when 

 it would naturally be cut clear. If this plan could 

 have been put into operation, the increased cost of 

 transporting the mature timber over larger areas made 

 necessary by the application of forestry, would have 

 been more than equalized by the advance in the value 

 of stumpage, on account of the smaller amount imme- 

 diately available. 



It was found, however, that the general public, as 

 well as many timber owners, did not understand 

 forestry sufficiently well to look favorably upon an 

 investment of either capital or timber on the scale 

 proposed. 



A meeting such as this gives promise that the for- 

 ester will increase his knowledge of economic problems 

 before the manufacturer, and that investors and hold- 

 ers of timber learn that the forester does not desire 

 to place obstacles in the way of profitably converting 

 the forests into lumber, but by forestry to protect them 

 from fire, disease, and useless waste, thus making 

 forest investments safe and permanent. 



That forestry is practicable upon large timber hold- 

 ings, either in private or Government ownership, is 

 unquestioned by all who have given the matter careful 



