FOREST MANAGEMENT IN THE WASTE-LAND REGIONS. 



63 



the western parts of the long-leaf pine belt, as it requires two sea- 

 sons for growth and maturity after pollination has taken place. 



FOREST MANAGEMENT IN THE WASTE-LAND REGIONS. 



Just here, in connection with the discussion as to what pol.icy 

 should be adopted in regard to the treatment of the pine barrens, 

 a brief statement of what forestry is and what it necessarily is not, 

 will not be out of place. The two conceptions as to what forestry 

 is are in part equally erroneous. One of these is that forest man- 

 agement consists in protecting trees with no definite end in view 

 beyond that of protection. The other conception contains a half 

 truth. It is that forest management consists in the production of 

 trees and the systematic management of tim'bered lands, but that 

 the State or government's ownership of such timbered lands is 

 essential for putting this into practice. This latter view of the 

 matter is fairly correct except tliat ownership or management by. 

 the State or government is by no means an essential feature. In 

 a country such as ours timber lands must be managed by their 

 owners or not at all. 



From the point of view of a money-yielding investment, and 

 this is the chief view that need be considered in dealing with most 

 of the lands of eastern North Carolina, the following might stand 

 for a definition of forestry: Forestry consists in the s^^stematic 

 care of forests so that the land will always yield valuable forest 

 trees and so that production of timber may be carried to its highest 

 possible limits. This growth of course is to be utilized, but in 

 such a manner that a young growth of equal value to the one removed 

 may take its place. Such management is not only not inconsistent 

 with private ownership of land, but if properly carried out by pri- 

 vate parties can be made more efficacious, at least as far as finan- 

 cial results are concerned, than when carried on by a government 

 or State. 



It is true that in some European countries much of the forest is 

 owned by the various governments, municipalities, etc., but much 

 of this land was owned by the respective governments for many 

 years before any forest management was practiced. Their owner- 



