ment, tax delinquency , and business shut-downs have 

 been areas where all the timber was cut out. 



FOR THE FUTURE 



14. Can our forests be made to supply all our 

 timber requirements ? 



Expert foresters have stated that if proper cutting 

 and related forest practices are applied, America's ur- 

 gent war needs can be met without further impairing 

 the productivity of American forest lands. 



In the long view, the United States Forest Service 

 says that the potential timber-producing capacity of the 

 forest land in the United States is sufficient to supply 

 all our prospective needs for timber, with a margin for 

 export. 



One-sixth of our commercial forest land, however, is 

 now virtually nonproductive. More millions of acres 

 are producing only a fraction of potential capacity. 

 America's forest lands can assure ample and con- 

 tinuous forest products only if sound forest prac- 

 tices are applied. This means that a very material 

 improvement over the general level of present practices 

 must be achieved. 



15. How can all forest lands, regardless of 

 ownership, be kept productive? 



The United States Department of Agriculture and 

 the Forest Service have recommended a comprehensive 

 action program to accomplish this. Eight now the 

 most urgent thing is to win the war. It may be im- 

 practical to implement the complete forestry program 

 at this juncture, but it should be planned now and 

 fully effectuated just as soon as practicable. 



The program recommended includes : 



(1) Public regulation. — The most urgent need is 

 to stop destructive cutting. It is generally recognized 

 that the public has the right and duty to insist that our 

 forest land, regardless of ownership, be kept in pro- 



16 



