FOREST CONDITIONS IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. 109 



Maryland, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, have taken advantage of this 

 provision of the law to extend and strengthen their own fire protective 

 organizations. North Carolina can not receive this cooperative as- 

 sistance until the State Legislature provides for a system of forest fire 

 protection and makes an adequate appropriation for the purpose. The 

 next session of the Legislature should hy all means make it possible 

 for North Carolina to receive assistance of this sort. 



The forests on the high mountains of the Appalachians should be 

 protected for all time. They can be adequately protected, yet lum- 

 bered, if the cutting is properly done. By protecting them, stream 

 flow would be regulated, which would be a tremendous advantage to 

 all those industries now using water power. The protection of the 

 hardwood supply will make permanent the varied industries which 

 now form such a large part of the manufactures of the State. If pro- 

 tected, these Southern mountains are destined to become the chief source 

 of hardwood in this country. 



An important industry in this region is the entertainment of tour- 

 ists and visitors from other parts of the country and even from abroad. 

 The preservation of mountain scenery is necessary if these visitors are 

 to continue to be attracted by the country. The preservation of the 

 streams would preserve the fish, and add one more to the many attrac- 

 tions of this region. 



There is perhaps more mountain land in North Carolina suitable 

 for forest management than in any other of the Appalachian States. 

 Large areas in Clay, Graham, Swain, Haywood, Transylvania, Yancey, 

 and Mitchell counties are still in almost unbroken forest, and the 

 proper protection of such areas will be of enormous benefit. Every 

 county should be interested in having at least part of the Appalachian 

 National Forest within its borders. 



SUMMAET AND CONCLUSIONS. 



Western North Carolina is essentially a timber producing region, 

 much the larger proportion of the land being better adapted to this 

 purpose than to any other. The necessity of retaining on the moun- 

 tain slopes a forest cover, which will tend to regulate the flow of the 

 streams, and, therefore, be of inestimable value to the manufactures 

 of this and the neighboring States, is a strong additional reason for 

 preserving the mountain forests. 



Seventy-six per cent of the land is now covered with forest. It has 

 been estimated that these forests have an average stand of 3,400 feet 

 of timber to the acre, or a total of about 10 3-4 billion feet for the 

 region, much of which, however, is too small or inaccessible at present 



