denuded. Some of this area may eventually restock natu- 
rally, but much of it will need to be replanted if it is to 
be restored to productivity in any reasonable time. A plant- 
ing goal of 32 million acres in 25 years, which would 
require more than a billion trees a year, has been suggested 
for a reasonably adequate attack on this huge reforestation 
job. 
But even when an area is planted we have to wait 50 to 100 
years or more before the seedlings grow into good-quality 
saw timber. So it is far more important to see to it that the 
kind of neglect and misuse which has made such reforesta- 
tion necessary is not continued. With good management, 
most of our existing forest stands can be made to continue 
yielding merchantable timber at frequent intervals without 
the necessity of artificial reforestation. 
10. What about “‘Tree Farms’’? 
The forest products industries of Washington and Oregon 
a few years ago launched a splendid movement for the estab- 
lishment of “tree farms’”—private timberland holdings whose 
owners agree to manage their forests on a continuing-crop 
basis. The tree-farm idea is being promoted in other States, 
and some 17 million acres have been signed up. 
Although the movement is gaining ground, the number of 
owners adequately carrying out the tree-farm plan is still 
relatively small. It is probably too much to expect that all 
of the millions of forest-land owners will quickly be induced 
to adopt the plan, or that all those who do will stick with it 
permanently. The plan carries no guarantee of permanence. 
Nevertheless, the plan is highly commendable; to the 
extent that the principles of tree farming are fully carried 
out by operators subscribing to the plan, the productivity of 
their lands will be maintained at a high level. 
