15 
The Duty of the Prkute Owner. 
Four-fifths of our standing timber is in private hands. The 
conservation of our forests and of the timber used depends mainly 
upon individual forest owners and users. If American citizens 
will protect their forests from fire, will provide by conservative 
logging for a good second crop, and will take every reasonable 
precaution against the waste of timber in the woods, in the mill, 
in the factory, and in use, their forests w.ill eventually supply 
more than their need, continuously. If these things, each one of 
v/hich will pay now and in the future as well, are not done, this na- 
tion will ultimately be dependent upon public forests. These, if 
cut absolutely clean, would furnish only enough lumber to meet 
our national need for ten years. At the end of that time they 
would be exhausted. If we are to be saved from great sufifering 
for lack of timber, the forests of private owners must supply the 
timber. 
Forest Planting. 
Forest planting means the protection of denuded watersheds 
from erosion, and the protection of. farm homes and crops from 
wind and cold. In many localities, it means the production of 
timber near by instead of bringing it from a distance at much 
greater cost. 
The United States contains 65,000,000 acres of stripped land, 
suitable only for the growing of trees, which will not bear a pro- 
ductive forest again except through the actual planting of trees, 
or sowing of tree seeds. The Wt^st contains 16,000,000 acres of 
naturally treeless land which should be planted to trees in the 
interest of agriculture in the prairie region and on irrigated 
lands elsewhere. Thus far, we have planted in all less than 
1,000,000 acres ,of which probably less than one-half is success- 
ful, because we have planted, for the most part, without adequate 
knowledge of where, what, and how to plant. 
To sum up ,our task in forest planting is vast. Thus far in 
actual acreage successfully planted our accomplishment is wholly 
inadequate. The area of naturally treeless lands already planted 
is utterly insignificant in comparison with their total extent. 
Upon denuded forest lands we have planted only 1 acre to each 
10,000 we have to plant. 
Task of the States. 
The States in their relation to the forest face these specific 
duties: To adjust taxes on forest lands, so that they can be held 
profitably for forest purposes ; to pass good laws for safeguarding 
forest property fromi fire, and enforce them; to conserve state 
forests and extend them to cover other forest lands needed for 
the permanent benefit of the whole State; and to cooperate with 
the Federal Government in teaching the people how to take care 
of their forests. 
