A measure of the impact of the 1956 

 conference and followup activities by 

 involved associations is that by 1963, 

 the proportion of forest lands in the 

 South unprotected against fire had 

 shrunk from 24 percent to 13 

 percent. Meanwhile, total State and 

 Federal funding for fire protection 

 had gone up 60 percent in 8 years, 

 from $14,101,526 in 1955 to 

 $22,557,401 in 1963, with 83 percent 

 of the increase coming from the 

 States. During this same period, area 

 burned on State and private lands had 

 dropped by almost 600,000 acres 

 (243,000 ha), or 25 percent. It is 

 reasonable to assume that the roles of 

 the various associations in 

 encouraging greater forestry 

 education, increased funding, and 

 stricter law enforcement were the 

 major factors in lessening the effects 

 of fire in the South (Forest Farmers 

 Association 1956, Forest Farmer 

 1964). 



In 1958, the Lumber Manufacturers' 

 Association of Virginia was formed 

 by individuals, firms, and 

 corporations seeking to create a better 

 understanding of the importance of 

 the lumber industry in the State. It 

 encourages and promotes all phases 

 of securing and maintaining the 

 State's timber and log supply, as well 

 as more profitable production and 

 distribution of native lumber. The 

 association provides a unified voice to 

 influence governmental programs and 

 legislation on such issues as forest 

 estate taxes, reforestation tax credits, 

 herbicide restrictions, oak log 

 exporting, and funding for Virginia's 

 program to reforest cut-over 



timberlands. It also disseminates 

 information to its members on 

 markets, machinery, methods, and 

 laws. Among its more important 

 projects are a biennial east coast 

 sawmill and logging equipment 

 exposition, cosponsored by the 

 extension division of Virginia 

 Polytechnic Institute and State 

 University, and a continuing 

 education program featuring a 

 hardwood lumber grading short 

 course. The Lumber Manufacturers' 

 Association of Virginia is 

 headquartered at Sandston, VA, and 

 J.R. Bush is its executive director. 



As the southern forests continued to 

 regain their productivity, a number of 

 individuals and groups pondered why 

 this was occurring, what were the 

 key factors involved, and how the 

 trend could be encouraged and 

 fostered. No one seemed able to put 

 a handle on a suitable approach to 

 such an investigation until Harry E. 

 Murphy, a prominent Birmingham, 

 AL, consulting forester, wrote to J. 

 Walter Myers, Jr., then executive 

 vice president of the Forest Farmers 

 Association, outlining an idea. In a 

 letter dated November 13, 1965, 

 Murphy wrote, 



It seems to me that someone 

 . . . should do a study or 

 review of what are the 

 reasons that brought about 

 this great resource 

 development— abundance of 

 timber, growth, etc.— it just 

 did not occur. 



1 think we should reflect on 

 what are the things or 



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