Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1909-02-19
Great Britain Plans
Grow Its Own Timber
By Starting Trees from s..
For Future Use.
English Commission Outline, 5.
est and Land Policy

| neglecting her forests for hundraa|
years, Great Britain has como =
trent with the most sighted ~
| posal for forest work and lana
provement ever advanced by anu
| ton in a single plan.
The recommendations inst MOI.
the British government by the D..
Commission on Afforestation and n.
| Erosion Will make England Self 81
| porting in the production Of TIM
If successfully carried out.
The report embraces two sonar,
proposals, involving the forestatio,
one case of 5000, 900, and in the ~,
OF 6,Gc0,00Q acres. The former prorsal
| calls for the forest planting of IA \
| acres Il year for 60 years at an arrr
cost Of $4,000 at the beginning to ovl
SIS, geo 600 at the end of the period n
| tn 10th year, however. the fo..
would become self-suppOrting. All
| SO years, the forest would have val
of $2,S10,oo0,9 300, which is $j35, O0O, 90
excess of the cost of producing il Al
| would yield Il net annual reyerra
SIS. 800, 600, or 1913 per acre from lsl
now barely producing 80 cents per an
While these estimated returns are m
than half again as much as the hig,
developed forests of Saxony yield
is considerably less than the net "A
| enue from the historic town forest
Zurich, Switzerland. the SihIwald
volume. the annual estimated v5I
production would exceed the press
annual wood imports to England
100000 '1oads."
Great Britain has long been devs
dent upon outside sources for her NO.
supplies. But the constantly i
cIeasing demand for wood.
gether With the overdrain aired
made upon these sources. indicates
world shortage of wood unless thl
counties which now have to impq
are able to establish and mainta
their forest independence and gn
the needed wood at home Most Of 4
countries of Europe have taken care
keep I'D The home wood output by Od
ing after their forests before they We
destroyed or hopcleSSly depleted a
managing them for a sustained ann.
British Isles, however, are pra ctca
stripped of productive forests. f Cir
Britain Is to grow her own wood.
Will have 10 begin ut the bcginni
set out he seedlings on tree
ground and wait for them to ia
marketable size. The Commission II
omnt nds that this work of starting
ture national forests from the seed
undertaken ''as sound and remune
tive investment"
There is no question, the report sa
that substantially the anticipated
suits can b. obtained. Experts les
fed before the Commission that Il
production of timber in Great Brita
VIII be mere rapid than in SaXOnl
which was selected for comparison
tween the economic and physical ca
ditfonS in the two countries. Yet
SaXony the net annual profits per aG
from the national forests has increas
412 per cent in 90 years, mainly, it VI
testified. because of "thc more syst
matte and careful management" II
lack of forests in Great Britain is .
result, not of natural conditions, but
bad national economy. This is furtE
proved by the fact that there are
number of private forests Whn
though but indiffercntly managed, d
netting their owners handsome rev
nucs.
The proposal of the commission
especially interesting to Americans
view of the fact that the measuT'
that are now being proposed in 10
United States are so much simpler al
less expensive. In this country u
forests arc already on the ground. y
that is necessary is to bring them
Il state or full productivcncss. I'D
present annual production of forests
the United States is scarcely more lNA
II cubic feet per acre of all KINDS
WOOD. The centuries of experience
SaXony, Switzerland and France sl"'
that the same kind of land VIII srV'
three to eight times as much WOOD wv
der wise forest mana cement. Prove
ton and proper cutting begun w
and steadily followed as a policy WV W.
keep America from reaching a pun
where, like Great Britain, it VIII
necessary. except in the prairie resh-
to start the forests of the future iV@
the seed, and wait for them to sip'
A 1.-THE of the great outlay when y. y.
British Commission cOntenpl4s.
would easily guarantee this count,ii
forest independence for all time ~ :,
the wood needed each year cou'u !
got out of the forests right along