Perpetuating Louisiana's Forests 



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THE FOREST lands of Louisiana should be made to 

 contribute their full share to the economic advance- 

 ment of the State. The virgin forests of the State 

 have played an important part in its development and, 

 now that most ot these stands have been cut, the second 

 growth timber can assume just as important a role in the 

 years to come. In any program to expand and diversify 

 the manufacturing industries, utilization ot forest resources 

 should logically have a prominent place. Forest industries 

 require a large volume ot labor per dollar unitot product, 

 and the growing tendency toward more complete fabrica- 

 tion will increase not only the opportunity for labor but 

 the cash returns as well. The sate limit in expansion is 

 determined by the capacity ot the State's forests, through 

 growth, to sustain torest industries indefinitely. 



Informed forestry practice is essential to increase the 

 volume and the quality of the forest resource. The new 

 torests must be handled wisely anti with restraint. Many 

 problems remain to be studied. Moreover, the forest 

 lands are owned by thousands ot individuals having differ- 

 ent objectives ot management and various economic limi- 

 tations. To build the torest resource up to what might be 

 termed a reasonably good condition will take years of 

 planned action, with close cooperation between owners 

 ot forest land, the State, and the Federal Government. 



In efforts to improve the torest situation ot the State 

 the objectives should be: (1) To build up the growing 

 stock so as to obtain at lowest cost the maximum sustaineii 

 increment of wooil, in forms suitable for the most valuable 

 commodities; (2) to prevent losses caused bv fire, theft, 

 insects, and disease; (3) to tieveloji stable and diversified 

 wood-using intiustries throughout the State that will pro- 

 vide profitable markets for all the prtKiucts and Inproducts 

 ot the forest; and (4) to give forest-laiui ownership more 

 stability ami appeal b\ eliminating, or adjusting, unfavor- 

 able factors such as inappropriate tax treatment, dis- 

 criminatory freight rates, severe credit terms, and restrict- 

 ive legislation. 



The forest iiulustries, the public, and the forest-land 

 owners all ha\ c a large interest in the program and should 

 cooperate to the fullest extent in order to obtain (1) the 



legislation and appropriations needed to put it completely 

 into operation and (2) the forest practice necessary to 

 perpetuate it. The discussion that follows is not intended 

 to cover all the action needed but to focus attention on 

 some of the important steps that should be taken. The 

 program which follows envisages a peacetime economy and 

 the long-term character of the forest enterprise. If some 

 of the recommendations are not in accord with wartime 

 requirements, they are obviously nonapplicable for the 

 present. 



What Forest Oivners and the Forest- Using 

 Industries Can Do 



1. Private owners should extend fire protection to all 

 their forest lands. To this end, they should take full ad- 

 vantage of the cooperative facilities offered by the State 

 and Federal Governments. 



2. Forest owners should buiki up the quantitv and qual- 

 ity of growing stock of their lands bv limiting cut to less 

 than increment, by appropriate cutting methods, and by 

 integrated use, and, in some cases, by artificial reforesta- 

 tion. In southeast and southwest Louisiana are large 

 areas of denuded forest land that must be planted if they 

 are to be brought back to acceptable stocking within a 

 reasonable period. Planting is desirable also on some 

 areas of poor reproduction and in some abandoned fields. 



3. Forest industries should as far as possible practice 

 integrated wood utilization. The high-grade portions oi 

 trees should be converted into lumber, [xilcs, piles, and 

 other quality products; low-grade portions should go into 

 pulpwood, fuel wood, anii other comnn.xlit?es with less 

 exacting requirements. 



4. Supplementary uses of private torest land, such as 

 hunting, trapping, and fishing, should be developed in onler 

 to make it earn additional income. Liiuisiana has not 

 made so much progress as some other southern States in 

 developing recreational and game p(.\«!sibilitics of torest 

 lands; however, the State has exceptionally large reserves 

 of petroleum, natural gas, and other subsurface resources. 



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