The Washington herald., 1909-02-14

After neglectIng her forests for hun
dreds OF years, Great Britain has come
to the front with the most far-sighted
proposal for forest work and land i'm
Droyement ever advanced by any nation
in single plan.
The recommendation Just made TO the
British government BY the royal com
mission on ahorestaNon and coast erO-
sion VIII make England self-suppOrting
in the production Of timber, Il success
fully carried out.
The report embraces two separate pro-
pOsals. involving the iorestation in one
case Of 100000 and in the other OF $780,
o0o acres. The former proposal calls for
the forest planting OF 10000 acres year
for sixty years, az an annual cost Of
s450.0o0 Ct the beginning to over $4,000, ,0oo
al the end or lfle -erlOd- After the for
tieth year. however. the forest would
become self-supporting. After eighty
years, the forest would have a value OF
s2,ao.0O0o00, which is s5S5. 90 in excess
OF the cost Of producing It. and would
yield net annual revenue OF s., ,5O0, ,Oo0.
OF Ss.Ts per acre from land now barely
producing 30 cents per acre
Seems a Big Estimate.
While those estimated returns are more
than half again as much as the highly
developed forests OF Saxony yield. It Is
considerably less than the net revenue
from the historic town forest OF Zurich,
Switzerland. the Sihlwald In volume. the
annual estimated wood production would
exceed the present annual wood imports
TO England by 50OeaO loads"
Great Britain has long been dependent
upon outside sources for her wood sup
plies. But the constantly increasing de-
mand for wood, together with the over
drain already made upon these sources,
indicates a world shortage unless those
countries which now have 10 import are
able 10 establish and maintain their for
est independence, and grow the needed
timber at hone. Most OF the countries
Of Europe have taken care 70 keep Up the
home wood output by looking after their
forests before they were destroyed oE
hOpeiessly depleted. and managing them
for a sustained annual yield about equal
10 the demand
Great Britain Stripped.
The British Isles. however. are practi-
cally stripped Of productive forests. II
Great Britain is 10 grow her own wood,
she VIII have 10 begin at the beginning.
set out the seedlings on treeless ground,
and wait for them 10 reach marketable
size. The commission recommends that
this work Of starting future national for
ests from the seed be undertaken, "as a
sound and remunerative investment
There Is no question, the report says.
that substantially the anticipated results
can be obtained Experts testified be-
fore the commission that "the. production
OF timber in Great Britain viii be more
rapid than in Saxony," which was Sc
lected for comparison on account OF tbs
close resemblance between the ecOnOmi;
and physical conditions in the two cOun-
tries YET IN SaxOny the net annual
profits per acre from the national forests
has increased 4I2 per cent IN ninety
years, mainly. IT was testified, because Of
the more systematic and careful man
agement." The lack Of forests IN Grea;
Britain IS the result, not Of natural con
6itions, but Of bad national economy
This is further proved BY the fact that
there are a number Of private forests
Which. though but indiferentiy managed
are netting their owners handsome reve-
nues
Less Expensive in America.
Tie proposal Of the commission Il e.
peciaily interesting 70 Americans in view
OF the fact that the measures that ars
now being proposed in the United States
are so much simpler and less expensive
IN this country the forests are ALREADY
On the ground All that IS necessary i:
70 bring them to state Of full produc-
tiveness.
The present annual production OF for.
ests in the United States is scarcely
more than twelve cubic feet per acre OF
al kinds OF wood The centuries Of ex.
peTience in SaxOny. Switzerland and
France show that the same kind OF lanc
viii grow three TO eight times as much
wood under wise forest mana cement
Protection and proper cutting begun now
and steadily followed as a policy vii
keep America from reaching a point
where. ike Great Britain. il vii be nee
essary, except in the prairie region. q
start the forests OF the future from n,
seed, and wait for them to grow.
A 1.-THE Of the great outlay which tn,
British commission cOnterpiates woult
easily guarantee this country's forest n
dependence for all time. And the voot
needed each year could be got out OF II.
forests right along.