The San Francisco call., 1908-05-24
Ak IS SCYTHF AND
HOE TO FOR[STERS
Cut Over National Reserves to
Bring Them to Full Pro-
ductiveness
Wedding Out OF Old Trees Gives
Space for Growth of the
Newly Planted
SPECIAL DISPATCH TO THE CALL

WASHINGTON. May 23.-To bring
the national forests to their full pro-
ductiveness, they must be cut over. The
ak is the foresters hoe as we'll as his
scythe. Reaping and sowing are
usually for him one and the same opera
ton, and cultivation is accomplished
by getting rid of what he does not
want. There were cut from the ma
tion forests during the last fiscal year
the equivalent of a little over ESQ, 0,000,-
600 board feet of timber. This in
volved cutting operations on slightly
less than 100000 acres of land, or about
one-four hundredth of the total area
of the governments forests. In other
words, hardly a beginning has been
made in bringing the forests to their
highest productiveness through use
and their reserve of mature timber has
scarcely been touched by the opera
tions under way.
Timber cutting on the national for
ests has hitherto been done almost en-
tirely by what foresters call the "se-
lection method This takes out only a
part of the trees and leaves the rest to
grow more rapidly as a result of the
opening up of the forest, while permit
ting also the seeding up Of the ground
with new growth. Each tree to be cut
is selected by a forest officer and
stamped at the base of the stump and
again at the breast height.
STAMP SHOWS AUTHORITY
II the cutters fell any trees which
were not marked for them. the alb
sence of the ~. s." stamp on the
stump betrays the fact to the govern
ment inspector, and the one RESPONSE
BILE is brought to book. BY this method
of cutting the actual practice of for
estry is being gradually introduced.
is protected nor merely that 1t is made
use of as it natures. but also that it is
cultivated like a crop in order to get
as much as possible out of the land
The total cut from the national for
ests during the last fiscal year (280,-
600. 900 board feet) was insignificant
in comparison alike with the total tim
Der cut of the country, the total stand
of government timber and the yearly
productive capacity of all the forests
when they have been brought under
management. Balancing one thing
against another, the government has
undoubtedly not lessened its stock Of
timber in consequence of the cuttings
made during the year, but, on the con-
trary, has much more now than 1t had
year ago. A great part of the in
crease, however, has been on timber
which has not yet reached merchant
able size.
MUST LEAVE BIG MARGIN
This suggests one Of two important
reasons why it may not be safe to cut
right along as much wood as grows.
taking the forests as a whole. The
first reason is that it will do the
country no good some years shence to
know that the forests are making a
certain amount of wood per year, IL 1t
is all in sizes not big enough to cut to
advantage. The second is that It is
necessary to forecast the needs locally.
The inhabitants of Arizona will find
it small consolation to them in the
future to be told that there is large
supply of timber remaining in Wash
ington II their own forests have moth
ing for them.
Such problems as these the forest
service is preparing to meet. 1t Is too
much to hope that mistakes will not
be made. Forestry requires 80 long a
look ahead that theIbest calculations are
likely to be disturbed through changes
In conditions. The point is that with
the best provision possible the public
will be vastly better or than with no
provision at all.