Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1908-04-02

expended in applying it. The United States
is enormously behindhanded in its expendi-
ture for the management Of the National
Forests, but nevertheless returns have al
ready increased with increased expenditure
for management.
A second lesson, clearly brought home by
foreign forestry. is the need of timely ac-
tion, since forest waste can be repaired
only at great cost
Third, private initiative does not suffice
by itself TO prevent wasteful forest use.
England, it is true, has so far consistently
followed a let-alone policy. However
England has been depending upon foreign
supplies Of wood. Now that all Europe is
running behind every year in the produc-
ton of wood (e,620,000 tons and there are
unmistakable signs that countries which
lead as exporters Of wood will have to cur
tail their wood exports, England is at last
feeling her dependence and is specializing
uneasily as to where she can certainly Sc
cure what wood she needs in the future.
Fourth, when the forest countries are
compared as to wood imports and exports,
and when il is realized that a number Of the
countries which practice forestry are even
now on the wood importing list, the need of
forestry in the export countries is doubly
enforced.
Russia, Sweden, Austria Hungary, and
Canada, for instance, are making good the
wood deficit of a large part Of the world.
Sweden cuts much more wood 106 900, 600
cubic feet) than she produces; Russia, in
spite Of her enormous forest resources, has
probably entered the same road; and Eng
land, the leading importer Of wood, must
count more and more on Canada. But the
United States consumes every year from
three to four times the wood which its for
ests produce, and in due time will doubt
less take all the wood that Canada can
spare. In other words, unless the coun-
tries of the western hemisphere apply for
estrY promptly and thoroughly, they will
one day assuredly be held responsible for a
worldwide timber famine.
Fifth, in comparison with foreign eoun-
tries the prospects for forestry in the United
States are particularly bright, for the fol-
lowing reasons:
"a We start with the assurance that
success can certainly be attained.
~ We have few OF the handicaps which
have trammeled other countries We have
no ancient forest rights and usages with
which to contend, or troubleiome property
questions to settle.
(3) The results which other lands have
achiyed by long struggle, often with bitter
costs, are free to Us 10 use as we wish. We
have, it is true, our purely National and
local forest questions, but the key to many
of them is somewhere in the keeping of the
countries which have achieved forestry.
(4) In variety combined with value our
forests are without parallel in the world.
They produce timber adapted TO the great
est variety of uses, is thar, except to meet
shortage, importations Of wood are unnec-
essary Furthermore, transportation facil-
tiles unable us to make every forest region
available. Thus, by specializing our forest
management, each kind of forest may be
! made to yield the kind Of material for
which it is best adapted, and the wastes
due to compulsory use of local supplies
may be practically eliminated.