110 FOREST CONDITIONS IN WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA. 



to be mer chant able for lumber. This timber is now being cut at the 

 rate of about 330,000,000 board feet per annum, exclusive of that used 

 for domestic purposes. This is considerably faster than these forests 

 are growing timber, so that what practically amounts to a yearly deficit 

 must be met by an increase in growth, which can be brought about only 

 by improved methods of management. 



If these forest lands are looked upon as continuous and permanent 

 investments, improvements in the methods of handling them are abso- 

 lutely essential to make such investments profitable. There is a total 

 investment in forest land of about $20,000,000, including both the land 

 and the timber, in the counties under consideration. Outside of the 

 increase in the value of timber, a return worth something over $600,000 

 (including fire wood and fences) is received. This is equivalent to 

 about three per cent on the investment, but taxes amount to over one 

 per cent, so that the net income on the investment averages less than 

 two per cent outside of the increase in value of the timberlands. From 

 the standpoint of the private owner, this is not a highly profitable in- 

 vestment, but the present profits may be maintained or increased if the 

 lands are protected and properly managed. 



At present, owners are depending for profit too much on the increase 

 in value of the property, and so are losing sight of the only permanent 

 and regular source of profit — the annual growth of the forest. The 

 object of all owners of forest lands should be to increase the annual 

 growth so that the iargest income possible will be secured from the 

 forest. This must be accomplished by cutting the present stand so that 

 the proportion of the more valuable species in the future forest will be 

 increased instead of diminished, and by providing the most favorable 

 conditions for healthy and rapid growth. 



In order to bring about the necessary improvements in the forest 

 conditions of Western North Carolina, the active cooperation of the 

 State, the land owners, and all other persons within the region in sup- 

 pressing fires is absolutely essential. 



The State should assist by every means in its power in the protection 

 of property. The State should pass a good fire law and provide ade- 

 quate machinery for its enforcement. Such a law should provide for 

 the appointment of county or township fire wardens in accordance with 

 the needs of the different counties, these wardens to be subject to a cen- 

 tral State authority and given the power to arrest for violation of the 

 law and to call out assistance whenever needed to fight fires. Their 

 duty should be to prevent fires if possible, extinguish those which have 

 started, and aid the central authority in any prosecution under the 



