368 REPORT OF THE FORESTRY COMMITTEE 



ence on new crops. The fact that private timberland holdings outnumber Gov- 

 ernment and State lands about five to one, in the matter of timber volume, makes 

 the ultimate use of these private lands of predominating importance. We have 

 83 per cent of our forests under private ownership; Germany 4614, and these 

 under State control. 



Another important factor is that private timberlands, as a rule, are more 

 accessible and usually capable of more profitable forest management than Govern- 

 ment or State forests. In fact, even with the most extensive and complete 

 development of transportation which can be anticipated, much of the national 

 forest land will always be difficult of access, and, to this extent at least, incapable 

 of the most rapid and economic forest production. Furthermore, a considerable 

 percentage of the public forest lands will be maintained primarily for watershed 

 protection; and while timber will be produced from such areas, the output will 

 be limited to the amount which can be spared without materially reducing the 

 water-conserving power of the forested area. 



Considered from a broad, national standpoint, very extensive areas of 

 privately managed forest land will be necessary in the future, unless there is an 

 extensive transfer of timberland from private to public ownership, or an increase 

 in use of substitutes which will reduce the demand for wood to a consumption 

 which the national forests and State reserves can supply. It is not likely that 

 either of these developments, or a combination of the two, will occur. At any 

 rate, it is certain they will not come in time to destroy present public interests in 

 measure for forest production on privately owned lands. 



It is against the traditions and principles of our Government to purchase and 

 operate private industries ; and whatever the measure of control ultimately exer- 

 cised, public ownership of enough non-agricultural land to supply the country's 

 needs for timber is not a reasonable expectation. 



In the matter of consumption, we may look in the comparatively near future 

 for reduction in the amount of wood used per capita ; and the opinion is even now 

 expressed that our gross consumption has passed or is near its peak. Even if the 

 increasing use of substitutes decreases the per capita consumption, we must 

 reckon with a rapidly increasing population, and also consider that the rural 

 communities, where the greater proportion of our population still lives, will 

 continue the almost universal use of wood, even though our cities become of 

 steel, stone and concrete. Moreover, historical data from other countries show 

 that whatever the use of substitutes in most fields, the railroads and the pulp and 

 paper plants require a constantly increasing amount of wood. 



NO DECLINE IN DEMAND. 



. In other words, the curve of timber consumption is not likely to decline 

 rapidlv enough to make our reserve timber supply, even in conjunction with 

 voluntary new growth, adequate for our needs without a supply from intensively 

 managed private forests. It is more probable that a greatly reduced per capita 

 consumption will not come until the virgin supplies are nearly exhausted, and we 

 find ourselves, some thirty or forty years hence, with the old growth nearly gone, 



