10 



second growth, there were 85,000,000,000 feet standing. There are, 

 however, by careful estimate, not more than 35,000,000,000 feet of 

 merchantable timber, which also includes undoubtedly a considerable 

 amount of second growth. Of the vast discrepancy only a part can 

 be. put down to error, since we know enough of the fire history of 

 these States to ascribe the loss of 60,000,000,000 feet to fire. These 

 figures show that it is a safe and conservative statement that the end 

 of the white pine is near, and that ten 3^ears will see it disappear as 

 an important factor in the lumber trade. 



The present stand of yellow pine in the Southern States has been 

 stated by Mr. R. A. Long, in a paper read before the annual meeting 

 of the Southern Liunber Manufacturers' Association, to be about 

 137,000,000,000 feet. About 163,000,000,000 feet have probably been 

 lumbered already. For the census year of 1900 the total cut of yellow 

 pine was given as nearly 10,000,000,000 feet. These figures show 

 that at the present rate of consumption the present stand of longleaf 

 yellow pine will be exhausted long before a second crop can be pro- 

 duced to take its place. 



It is not necessary to multipl}" instances. It would merely be to 

 provide j^ou with facts of which you have a keen realization already. 

 The lumber industry ranks fourth among the great industries of the 

 United States. It has, in my judgment, done more to develop this 

 country than any other private enterprise except the railroads, and 

 the rapid growth of the latter would in man}^ cases have been impos- 

 sible without the parallel development of lumbering. But in lumber- 

 ing, as in all other great private industries, the necessity for care is 

 not seen until the harm has been done and until the results of it are 

 bitterly felt. We have reached the point now when we are often 

 unable to supply the enormous demand for lumber which we have 

 fostered. We must look to the production of a second crop upon 

 lumbered lands or prepare to stop lumbering when the first crop is 

 gone. In the old da3^s it was eas}^ to lumber one forest and then turn 

 to another. To-day, however, we can not count upon new fields to 

 turn to. We must make the best of what we have, and wherever it 

 pays we must lumber conservatively. 



Practical forestr}" means conservative lumbering. The question 

 whether conservative lumbering pays depends upon whether the \alue 

 of the second crop upon lumbered lands is sufiicient to make it a protit- 

 able enterprise to foster and protect it, and in many cases the time has 

 alread}^ come when practical forestry is a good business investment 

 for lumbermen. We have received a good deal of abuse for what has 

 been called our vandalism — abuse which was unreasonable and which 

 was not accompanied by pertinent suggestions for reform: Init now 

 the Bureau of Forestrv of the United States Department of Agricul- 

 ture puts the question of conservative lumbering in a way which makes 



