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Well managed and protected from fire, this area has enormous 

 producing powers. Studies by the Forest Service of average virgin 

 and cut-over lands in eastern Tennessee show that under protection 

 these lands are capable of producing 50 cubic feet of wood per acre 

 annually. Even taking the production as 40 cubic feet, this means 

 for the area of To million acres a possible annual production of 

 3 billion cubic feet. 



Plow does this compare with the annual requirements? The 25 

 billion feet, board measure, used annually (allowing a product of 

 8 feet B. M. for each cubic foot, which is believed to be not too 

 -high under present utilization) represents a little over 3 billion cubic 

 feet. This is just about equal to the amount which the Appalachian 

 forest is capable of jDroducing. '\^Tien it is remembered that the 

 Appalachians will probably not be called upon to furnish more than 

 three-fourths of the total supply, it is clear that there is a good mar- 

 gin of safety. Therefore, if the Appalachian forests are rightly 

 managed and taken soon enough, they will insure continuously the 

 hardwood supply of the countr3^ and do it without exhausting the 

 forest. In fact, it can be done so that the systematic treatment 

 will at the same time improve the forest. 



Our experience will doubtless be the same in this respect as that 

 of Germany." In Saxony the cut, which represents only the growth, 

 increased during the period from 1820 to 1904 55 per cent, bringing 

 the annual yield to 93 cubic feet per acre. Prussia shows a still more 

 pronounced increase. In 1830 the cut was only 20 cubic feet per acre, 

 and in 18G5 had increased to only 24 cubic feet. But in 1890. owing to 

 proper management, it had risen to 52, and in 1904 to 65 cubic feet. 

 These results came largely from nonagricultural lands, sandy plains, 

 swamps, and rough mountain slopes, and from forests which had been 

 misrilanaged, much the same as ours. 



Much of the Appalachian forest has been so damaged that years 

 will be required for it to reach again a high state of productiveness. 

 Its present average production is probably not over 10 cubic feet 

 per acre per year. The increase would of course be gradual and it 

 would be slow at first. It would be some time before it could average 

 the 40 cubic feet per acre used in the above estimate. Until it does we 

 can expect a shortage in hardwood timber. The longer the delay in 

 putting this forest under control, the longer continued and more 

 extreme will be the shortage. 



Approved : 



James Wilson, 



Secretary of Af/riculture. 



« From article by Dr. 1^.. E. Fernow, Forestry and Irrigation. F<'l»ruary, 11)07. 

 [Cir. IKJ] 



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