the publici) owned western white pine should be held back 

 to ease the situation being created by private overcutting. 



Lest there be misunderstanding on the latter point it 

 will be well to define precisely what is meant by "holding 

 back." It would seem that the objective in the manage- 

 ment of State and national forests would be to maintain 

 the greatest reservoir of loggable timber for the day when 

 private holdings are largely cut out in any particular unit. 

 The simplest way to accomplish this would be to lock up 

 the public timber for the time being. But in western 

 white pine saw-timber stands, losses are occurring all the 

 time. For some age classes the mortality is considerable. 

 Thus, much good timber will die from insects, disease, and 

 competition if not logged. By making light cuts now in 

 such stands, it will be possible to get to the sawmills timber 

 which would otherwise be lost. Growth will be acceler- 

 ated, and the timber available in the future will be no less — 

 or even greater — than it the stands had been locked up 

 completely. 



Finally, since cutting can neither be permitted to con- 

 tinue indefinitely at the rate of 351 million board feet of 

 western white pine a year nor be restricted abruptly to 

 sustained-yield limits, the middle course of realistic com- 

 promise must be taken by easing into a sustainable pace. 

 Overcutting of privately owned white pine will probably 

 have to continue, but by holding back on public stumpage 

 and in (jther ways, reduction ot cut should be continually 

 stressed. 



Requisite Protection and Management 



The fire losses ot northern Idaho are still too great. 

 This is particularly so on private land. Large areas in 

 private ownership are poorly protected or unprotected. 

 About twice as much money should be spent in protecting 

 State and private land as is spent at present, according to 

 estimates ot the protective agencies. Because many of 

 the benefits of forest protection are enjoyed by all, it is 

 tair that a portion of the cost on private land be borne by 

 the public. The National Government has cooperated in 

 fire protection on private lands through its appropriations 

 under the Clarke-McNary .Act of 1924 ami through the 

 C. C. C. Greater aid in fire protection under the Clarke- 

 McNary Act is needed. Also every private owner should 

 be required to contribute to the protection of his torest 

 land, which is not the case at present. 



All ertorts to perpetuate the western white pine uuiiistrv 

 on a high level will fail if the supporting silviculturai and 

 economic structure is allowed to be sapped bv insuthcient 

 control o\cr blister rust. The opinion of specialists con 

 tains no "probably" when speaking of what will h.ippcn 

 it the disease is not controlled. The best Nation wide 

 analysis ot the situation indicates that the present prouram 

 ot blister rust control as a national subsidy of a local 



industry is very desirable trom the national viewpoint. 

 Yet there is need for close bookkeeping to be sure that this 

 heavy expenditure is made only on areas which will pay 

 back a reasonable return. While the responsibilities 

 of the public in connection with the forests are great, there 

 is a definite upper limit beyond which the dollar invested 

 is not justified by proportionate returns — tangible or 

 intangible. 



Foresters today are seriously considering the matter of 

 the proper intensity of management. Just as the diflfer- 

 ence in returns per acre between the small truck garden 

 and the large ranch are more or less in proportion to the 

 labor invested, the yields from forest land likewise vary 

 according to the work done per acre. Even the best 

 management practices today in this region, and the 

 minimum regulations proposed for all operators, represent 

 relatively no more than an extensive forestry. Some 

 intensification of forest practice is necessary if the base 

 for the western white pine cut is to be kept from shrinking. 

 It is reasonable to expect that management practices will 

 be intensified as time goes on. But the evidence available 

 and the various expert opinions on the subject have not 

 been sitted down to the point where it is possible to say 

 how much more labor can be profitably applied to forest 

 land in northern Idaho. 



Regulation 



Logging by the lumber industry in northern Idaho is 

 tor the most part not destructive in the common sense of 

 the word. Such fault as can be tound is in respect to the 

 completeness ot the cut ot western white pine rather than 

 the method ot logging. The logging ot too-small western 

 white pines or the tailure to leave enough trees tor seed 

 source results in a distinct loss to the community. In 

 some ot the more accessible areas the heavy demands for 

 tuel wood have brought on local problems of overcutting 

 and misuse. This can be helped by education, and by the 

 establishment and entorcement ot minimum regulations 

 to prevent maltreatment of forest lands. 



I he question ot adequate slash disposal is more serious. 

 Much damage has been done to residual stands through 

 the burning ot logging debris. Hazard rciluction by slash 

 dispt>sal is a necessary job, but a ticklish one too, and one 

 requiring expert supervision. The office o\ the State 

 torester is charged with the task of jKilicing this dispersal 

 on private land, but the ettectiveness of this work has 

 been limited by insufficient funds and organization. 



To expect and hope that the timber will be cut and the 

 slash disposed of in a manner to meet certain minimum 

 standards is not enough. Ihe people oi Idaho in cxxi{XT:i- 

 tiun with the ledcral Government have a right to insist on 

 aiiherence to these standanls. After all. it is they or 

 their children who lose when future timl>cr crops are 

 delayed or diminishei.1. 



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