352 



NA TURE 



[January 21, 1909 



be put at a maximum of 9,000,000 acres. In determining 

 this figure two considerations have been taken into account, 

 besides elevation and physical suitability of soil. The first 

 is that the value of the land is not in excess of a sum on 

 which a fair return may be anticipated on the expenditure. 

 This will naturally vary according to the productive 

 capacity of the soil and the crop which it will carry. The 

 second consideration is that the land could not be more 

 profitably utilised in any other way. 



f5) A forest of 9,000,000 acres, in which are represented 

 the various series of age-classes, may be expected to yield 

 g, 000, 000 loads annually in perpetuity. The importation 

 of foreign timber from temperate climates into the United 

 Kingdom in the year 1907 exceeded 8,500,000 loads, or 

 approximately the annual supply which could be expected 

 from the afforestation of the above-mentioned area. 



(6) The withdrawal of 9,000,000 acres from its present 

 uses would cause some gradual curtailment of food sup- 

 plies and displacement of labour. Land suitable for 

 afforestation is mostly devoted to the production of mutton. 

 Calculations on the basis of the present consumption show 

 that at most 60,000 tons, or 48 per cent, of the total 

 home production of meat, or 2-6 per cent, of the present 

 national consumption, would be ultimately displaced, .^s 

 10 labour, the employment furnished by the present uses, 

 mostly sheep farming, to which the land in question is 

 devoted, may be taken to average one man to 1000 acres. 

 This does not represent one-tenth of the permanent employ- 

 ment afforded by the maintenance of a similar area of land 

 under forest. 



(7) Systematic sylviculture aims at the production of a 

 steady and continuous supply of marketable timber. To 

 ensure the maintenance of these supplies the area should 

 be divided for planting by the average number of years 

 which the crop needs to mature ; for example, if the life 

 of the crop be taken as eighty years, the area to be 

 afforested every year would, out of a total area of 9,000,000 

 acres, be 112,500 acres. But a more rapid system of plant- 

 ing may be adopted without seriously complicating the 

 rotation, and further, some adaptation to the temporary 

 fluctuations of the labour market is feasible. 



(8) The distribution of this 9,000,000 acres of suitable 

 lar.d is somewhat irregular. By far the largest areas are 

 to be met with in the west and north of England, and 

 throughout similar regions in Scotland. Ireland and Wales 

 also contain a relatively large amount of this type of 

 land. In the south and east of England, on the other 

 hand, the areas in the aggregate are less extensive. Great 

 diversity exists in the size of these areas, some counties 

 offering large contiguous stretches, while in others the 

 areas are characterised by their discontinuous nature. 



(■9) The administration of national forest lands should 

 be entrusted to special commissioners. 



(to) In dealing with these lands, subdivision into distinct 

 districts, with an executive and administrative subcentre. 

 commends itself from various points of view. Thus local 

 employment would be afforded, local subsidiary industries 

 would be encouraged, public recreation grounds would be 

 provided, and, in connection with the establishment of 

 such forests, small holdings would undoubtedly be 

 multiplied. 



(11) Sylviculture in the United Kingdom is an enterprise 

 which rarely appeals to the private landowner or capitalist. 

 The prolonged time for which capital must be locked up 

 before any return can be expected, the loss of rent and 

 burden of rates over the whole period, and the absence of 

 security for continuous care and management, act as 

 deterrents. None of these objections applies to the State, 

 the corporate life and resources of which lend themselves 

 in an especial degree to an undertaking of this character. 

 If the State plants, it will certainly reap, which the 

 individual owner can rarely hope to do. 



(12) If afforestation be promoted on a large scale the 

 provision of suitable lands is the first step. For this 

 purpose a general survey should be made, and the exteni 

 and distribution of such lands ascertained, .^s a rule, il 

 will be found expedient for the State to purchase from 

 time to time such areas as .^re destined for planting, but 

 some oro'rress may conceivably be made along the lines 

 of profit-sh.Hring, in which case the owner would forego 



NO. 2047, VOL. 7g] 



the purchase price. Experience proves that, although 

 much of the land required may be expected to be purchase- 

 able by voluntary treaty, yet compulsory powers would be 

 necessary to facilitate transactions where voluntary treaty 

 had broken down. The principle laid dow-n in the Small 

 Holdings Act of 1907 for the acquisition of lands should 

 govern these proceedings as to arbitration, restrictions, and 

 safeguards. Where private owners can satisfy the Forest 

 Commissioners that they are able and willing to afforest 

 under their supervision and to their satisfaction, and give 

 an undertaking to that effect, compulsory powers should 

 not be enforced against such owners so long as that under- 

 taking is fulfilled. 



(13) The value of land falling within the definition of 

 " suitability " may be taken, except in rare instances, to 

 lie between 2Z. and loZ. freehold value ; but the average 

 value of suitable lands, including the necessary buildings 

 and other preliminary equipment, may be taken as (1/. los, 

 per acre, and the average cost of afforestation also at 

 (J. loi. per acre. If 150,000 acres be annually taken in 

 hand, a sum of about 2,000,000!. would be needed annually 

 to finance the undertaking. 



(14) Money expended in afforestation differs in kind from 

 other calls on the national purse. It is a productive invest- 

 ment of capital. To provide this capital sum out of taxes 

 would be an act of unprecedented generosity on the pari 

 of the present generation of taxpayers in favour of theit 

 posterity. No stronger justification for proceeding by loan 

 than a reproductive outlay e.xists. The loan should be 

 based on actuarial calculations showing initial cost, 

 expenses of upkeep and management calculated at com- 

 pound interest over the whole period, and the value of the 

 property when fully matured. .Such actuarial statements 

 we have given, which show, for the full scheme, that, 

 after allowing 3 per cent, compound interest on all the 

 capital invested, the approximate equalised revenue would 

 at fhe end of eighty years amount to 17,411,000/. per 

 annum, while the value of the property might be expected 

 to be 562,075,000!., or 106,993,000!. in excess of the sum 

 involved in its creation. A smaller scheme, involving the 

 afforestation of 6,000,000 acres (75,000 acres annually for 

 eighty years), would show a profit of about 10,000,000!. 

 annually, or a capital value of 320,000,000!., being 

 60,944,000!. in excess of the cost of production. 



(15) Coming to ways and means by which a loan of 

 this character may best be provided, a point of great 

 importance to be borne in mind is that, although the period 

 of rotation of a timber crop may be taken as eighty years, 

 yet, after forty years, owing to the value of thinnings and 

 the receipts of some short-period crops, the forest becomes 

 practically self-supporting. Between the fortieth and 

 eightieth years, the sales of timber will be sufficient to 

 meet the annual charges, including the upkeep and the 

 extension of the forest. After the eightieth year a large 

 annual revenue will be derived. These considerations point 

 to a free loan from the Treasury to the Forest Com- 

 missioners ; the net deficit to be met would in the first 

 year be 90,000!. or 45.000!., according to the extent of the 

 operation, and would reach its maximum in the fortieth 

 year, amounting in that year to 3,131,250!. or 1,565,625!. 

 After this period the deficit would be insignificant, while 

 in the eighty-first year the revenue derived would be 

 17,411,000!. or 10,000,000!. respectively, representing about 

 3f per cent, on the total accumulated costs of the under- 

 taking. 



(16) On the question of labour and its relations to 

 forestry, the conclusions to which the evidence before them 

 leads your commissioners are that the operations involved 

 in afforestation vary In the degree of requisite skill from 

 little or none in rough road-making and surface draining 

 to a considerable amount in the planting. Your com- 

 missioners wish to make it clear that they have in con- 

 templation a scheme of national afforestation on economic 

 lines. Thev have no hesitation in asserting that there are 

 in the United Kingdom at any time, and especially in 

 winter, thousands of men out of work for loni?er or shorter 

 periods who are quite ready and able to perform the less 

 t^killed work without previous training, and with satis- 

 factory results. There is a still larger class of unemployed 

 who are capable of being trained to perform this or the 



