Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1909-03-28
ENGLISH COMMISSION
OUTLINES LAND POLICY


dreds Of wears. Great Britain has
come 10 the front with the mos; far
sighted proposal for forest work ana
land Improvement ever advanced by
any nation in a single plan.
The rccomme ndations just made TO
the British government by the Roya!
commission on aifOrestation and coast
erosion viii MAX" England se!f,Sup'
port ing In the production OF timber II
successfully carried out
The report embraces two separate"
proposals. involving the forestatian In
one case OF 5000 900. and In the other
OF 6,aO0. 900 acres The former pro
posal calls for tn" forest planting o!
100 900 acres a wear for sixty years
at an annual cost Of $t5o0 900 at the
beginning to over $l5.0o0.o 900 at the
end OF the period After the fortieth
year. however, the forest would be-
come selfsuppOrting After eighty
Years. the forest wolld have value OF
S2,Sl0 .O00 900. which is $535 100000 III
excess Of the cost of producing II. ana
would WELD a net annual revenue or
So. 800. 600. or 1913 per acre from
land now barely producing 80 cents
per acre. While thes" estimated re
turns are more than half again "a
much AS the highly developed forests
of Saxony Weld. it is considerably less
than the net revenue from the his
toric town forest Of Enrich. Switzer-
land. the Sihlwald. In volume. the an.
nual estimated wood production
would exceed the present annual wood
imrorts to Eng by 0,000 loads
Great Britain has long been Deepen
dent upon outside sources for her
wood supplies But the constantly In.
creasing demand for wood. together
with the overlrain already made mp,
on these sources. indicates world
shortage of wood unless those coun-
tries which now have TO import are
able to establish and maintain their
forest independence and grow the
needed wood At home. Most OF the
countries of Europe have taken care
to keep ND the home wood output by
looking after their forests before they
were destroyed or hopelessly depict
ed. and managing them for sustain
cd annual yield about equal to the
demand. The British isles. however.
are practically stripped OF productive
forests. II Great Britain is to grow
her own wood. she will have to begin
at the beginning set out the seedlings
on treeless ground. and wait for them
TO reach marketable size. TIL" com
mission recommends that this work OF
starting future national forests from
the seed be undertaken "as sound
and remunerative investment
There Is no question. The report
says. that substantially the anticipat-
ed results can be obtained. Experts
testified before the commission that
the production of timber in Great
Britain will be more rapid than In
Saxony." which was selected for COM
parison on account OF the close re-
semblance between the economic ana
physical conditions in the two cOun.
tries Yet in SaxOny the net annual
profits per acre from the national Tor
ests has increased 4l2 per cent in 80
years, mainly. II was testified. le-
cause OF 1.-The more systematic and
careful management The lack OF
forests In Great Britain Is the result.
not OF natural conditions. but OF bad
national economy. This is further
proved by the fact that there are n
number of private forests which.
though but indifferently managed. are
netting their owners handsome re-
venues
The proposal Of the commission Is
especially interesting to Americans in
view of the fact that the measures
, that are now being proposed in the
United States are so much simpler
and less expensive. Tn this country
the forests are ALREADY On the ground
All that is necessary Is TO bring them
10 a state Of full productiveness The
present annual production Of forests
In the United States Is scarcely more
than twelve cubic feet per acre OF all
kinds OF wood The centuries OF ex-
perience in SaxOny. Switzerland. and
France show that the same kind Of
land will grow three to eight times
as much wood under wise forest man
agement. Protection and proper cut
ting begin now and steadily followed
as a policy will keep America from
reaching point, where. like Great
Britain, i, will be necessary. exceue
in the prairie region. TO Start the for
ests of the future from the seed. and
wal; for them to grow. A 1.-THE OF
the great Outlay which the Britich
commission contemplates would easily
guarantee this country's forest indie
De ndence for all time. And the wool
needed each year could BE- got out
OF the forests right along.
o,rn;oo Made essv.