10 FORESTRY : WHAT IT MEANS TO THE NATION 



which, owing to unnecessary competition, are rendered 

 more costly than they need have been. 



We may now briefly look a little further forward, 

 and examine the position of affairs as it is likely to 

 affect this country for the next score or two of years. 

 It is probable that we are faced with a permanent 

 increase in the price of timber materials. 



What action should then be taken by the nation ? 

 Should we not take up this afforestation problem in a 

 business-like manner, and give up treating it as either 

 a plaything of the politician or an amusing if expensive 

 hobby of the landed proprietor ! 



Some beginnings of State afforestation have been 

 made in Ireland. The conditions in that island 

 favoured the acquisition of land by the State for the 

 purpose. In England and Scotland the conditions are 

 different. Education in forestry has been receiving 

 the close attention of the Development Commissioners, 

 and very considerable progress has been the result. 

 Some of the larger city corporations have commenced 

 to afforest the catchment areas of their water supphes. 

 A few of the largest landed proprietors, especially in 

 Scotland, have considerable areas of woods managed 

 on a commercial basis. Broadly speaking, this is 

 the present position. We shall discuss it at greater 

 length in a subsequent article. Afforestation from the 

 commercial point of view, the only point of view of any 

 real value to a country requiring the large amounts of 

 raw forest material annually needed by us for our indus- 

 tries, our manufactures, and so on, has not got beyond 

 the talking stage. To the public at large commercial 

 forestry is still an unknown industry. Its necessity 



