8 BULLETIN" 364; TJ. S. DEPAETMENT OP AGEICULTURE. 



FOREST MANAGEMENT. 



With a few exceptions, no attempt is made in the southern pine 

 region to manage private forests for continuous production. ISTor is 

 this done in the United States generally. Present economic condi- 

 tions make necessary the lumbering of the larger holdings on a big 

 scale. This means a large annual cut accompanied by rapid deple- 

 tion of the merchantable timber supply. Even where curtailment 

 might otherwise be possible, it is frequently prevented by a heavily 

 bonded indebtedness, on which the necessary payments must be made 

 with the proceeds from the annual cut of timber. Nowhere is this 

 more often the case than in the southern pine region. The farmer 

 also often sacrifices his woodlot to meet indebtedness. Yet even 

 where it is possible for the lumberman or farmer to cut his timber 

 only as the market and his personal needs may require, he usually 

 does the cutting without reference to a future crop of timber on the 

 same land. 



To meet this problem the States of the southern pine region need 

 to investigate economic conditions in the lumbering and farming dis- 

 tricts, with the idea of giving advice to private owners as to how far 

 the practice of forestry may pay in dollars and cents. Assistance 

 should also be offered in the planting of trees on waste areas and in 

 the prairie regions and in shade-tree planting in towns and cities. 

 It is customary for the owner or town to pay the agent's field ex- 

 penses, while the State pays his salary. All States with forestry 

 departments have provided for work of this character. 



STATE-OWNED FORESTS. 



Large areas of true forest land should be owned by the State, since 

 it is better able than the private owner to hold the land for con- 

 tinuous timber production and for stream-flow protection. Public 

 ownership, furthermore, guarantees a permanent administration of 

 the properties. The stability of the lumber industry may thus be 

 assured, and with it, steady employment for the wage earner. The 

 educational effect of public forests as demonstration areas is very 

 important and may be productive of excellent results. Public forests 

 can also be used as recreation grounds by the people of the State, 

 and may eventually become an attraction for tourists and pleasure 

 seekers from other parts of the countr3^ They also afford range and 

 breeding ground for game. Through revenue from timber sales and 

 other privileges they should become self supporting. In some cases 

 sufficient revenues should be derived from them tg go to the support 

 of other State activities as well. 



Nearly every State which has given serious attention to its forest 

 problems has provided for the establishment of publicly owned for- 



