New-York tribune., 1910-01-30
THE NATIONS FORESTS.
Protecting Mature Lumber Sacrifices
Young Growth.

To the Editor of The Tribune.
Sir: 1t is now nineteen years. or since
1891. that the United States started out on
a forest policy creating what were frst
called reserves now national forests. AT
the present time these national forests IN
clude within their area an acreage as large
as that of the original thirteen states. or
two hundred million acres, located with one
or two insignificant exceptions, wholly in
the Rocky Mountain states and on the Pa
cihc Slope. Now, forestry. il l correctly
understand the subject. has for its purpose
first and foremost the growing and pro
duction of continuous supply of wood
fibre for our wooden industries. On that
ground alone it justly claims the friendship
o; the treasury. state or national.
At this juncture 1t Is most important TO
survey the situation to see whether what
VIC started out TO do with high hopes has
been realized or not. Has the withdrawal
of two hundred million acres of land In the
Rocky Mountains and Pacific states for
rational forests promoted conservation or
destruction. measuring the effect on this
whole United States?
The standing timber in the United States
to-day is computed to be about two trillicn
board feet. One-half OF this stands in the
Rocky Mountains and Pacific states. the
other half in the states east of the Rocky
Mountains. The lumber cut Of 1a0s, the
latest figures available, was. In round num-
bers thirty-three billion board feet. But
of this only 20 per cent or six billion six
hundred million board feet, came out of the
Rocky Mountains and Pacific states. while
the remaining so per cent was taken from
the states east of the Rocky mountains, and
eleven billion feet of this was yellow pine.
largely from the Southern states
But the forests of the West. or Pacific
forests. are very different in condition from
the forests of the East. or Atlantic forests.
The Pacific forests are mature and hyper
mature forests that have attained their
financial growth and ought 10 be cut. On
the other hand. the Atlantic forests. 1 am
safe in saying and speak from a personal
observation extending from the Mississippi
to the mouth of the St. Lawrence. are 10.
per cent second growth forests, averaging
from fifty years DID, and ought not to have
been cut for twenty-five years at least
Therefore the governments policy con-
served where it should have utilized, and has
destroyed where it should have conserved.
That is to say, the consumers of wood fibre.
when they were driven back from free access
to the Pacific forests, had no other recourse
taking from them. as we have seen; yearly
so per cent of the total annual cut of the
United States. Therefore I am forced to
the conclusion that the so-caIled reserve act
OF 1891 and its extensions and adminiStra-
tions since have been for the United States
as a whole stupendous blunder!
Over the wooden Industries east of the
Rocky Mountains, which constitute 75 per
cent of those industries in the United States,
there Is an impending famine of wood
fibre which. when 1t comes VIII bring want
and misery to the millions of people now
employed in those industries. Under the
circumstances. then. what shall be done?
What changes shall we make in the national
forest policy? 1t is this very question that
President Taft and his Cabinet are trying
to answer.
When President Taft succeeded to his in
heritance. unfortunately he found an estate
mortgaged to the limit. Surrounding HIM
self with practical men, accustomed to
handling large affairs in a practical way.
he is seeking to remove the membranes
of the estate and to put 1t on a paying
basis. In this great and difficult undertak-
ing he should have the patient help of every
we'll meaning citizen in the Republic. If
now and then voice of criticism and op-
position is heard. In charity let us call ii
the lamentations of those who formerly
stood as guide posts whose erroneous direc-
tions the people no longer follow
THOMAS T. IVY, Forest ENGINEER.
South Conway, n. H.. Jan. s. 1910