Goals F Ae Timber Growth 
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Sound Policy Calls for Abundant Growth 
Forestry is a long-time undertaking. While the 
country’s annual cut may vary somewhat with the 
play of economic forces, the rate of annual growth 
does not change appreciably from one year to the 
next. Once the forest resources have deteriorated 
as they now have done, it requires years of effort 
and additional investment to greatly increase the 
volume of cut that can be sustained. It is there- 
fore important to set up long-range goals or objec- 
tives of forest growth as a basis and guide for 
sound public policy and action. 
The Forest Service believes, on the basis of 
careful study, that the United States should aim 
to grow 18 to 20 billion cubic feet of timber an- 
nually, including 65 to 72 billion board feet of 
saw timber, which should be largely of good 
species and quality. These goals, as will be shown 
later, cannot be attained for several decades. 
Obviously there must be a large element of 
judgment in formulating a reasonable objective 
when it involves looking many years into the 
future. The goal here proposed for saw timber 
is more than the 59.4 billion board feet of annual 
drain during the prosperous years 1925-29. But the 
whole economy is now running at a much higher 
level than in that period, and there is every reason 
why it should continue to do so. The goal like- 
wise is more than the peak wartime drain which 
was also about 60 billion board feet. But during 
the war we were unable to keep abreast of the 
demand. Stocks of lumber were reduced to the 
vanishing point and civilian needs were largely 
neglected. 
The proposed goals are formulated with the 
conviction that national well-being will continue 
to call for a larger output of goods and services 
than was ever known in peacetime. Natural re- 
sources will be a vital factor in such a high-level 
Forests and National Prosperity 
economy. There is no evident reason why this 
country should not take advantage of the potential 
productivity of its forest resource, one of the most 
important of all resources and one which, unlike 
minerals, is renewable. 
The United States has been the greatest con- 
sumer of wood in the world. Wood is a basic, if 
not indispensable, element in the daily lives of our 
people. While some uses for wood decline, new 
uses are continually being found for it. The tim- 
ber products industries are an important element 
in the support of many communities, both large 
and small. The Nation needs ample, dependable 
timber supplies to sustain and expand the supply 
of consumer goods and the industry and employ- 
ment that are based on wood. Furthermore, as 
dramatically demonstrated by the recent war, an 
ample timber supply is a vital aspect of national 
security. Beyond these considerations is the world 
shortage of softwood timber. If its large potential 
forest yield were developed this country could 
safely help to meet world timber needs in years 
to come, and so contribute to international peace 
and well-being. 
The proposed goals for timber growth take 
all of these potentialities into account. 
Domestic Requirements 
The principal element in the growth goal is 
timber for domestic use. How much this country 
will use in years to come will depend in large 
part upon available supply and economic condi- 
tions. 
But it is not a function of this report to forecast 
economic conditions. As a sounder guide for public 
policy, this part of the growth goals is based on 
“potential requirements,” which means the amount 
of timber a prosperous Nation might use if the 
supply were sufhcient to keep forest products of 
suitable kind and quality available at reasonable 
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