The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1920-12-20
BUILDING TIMBER
DISAPPEARING IN EAST
Soon the Nation Will Be Dependent
for Bulk of It's Lumber on the
Forests of the Pacific
Coast.

Washington, D. c., Dec 20.-Forests
east of the Rocky mountains are be-
ing devastated so rapidly by cutting
and burning that the nation soon VIII
be dependent for the bulk of its con-
struction lumber upon the forests OF
the Pacific coast, William b. Greeiey'
United States forester, declares III ms
annual report, made public to-day
The situation, Mr.. Greeley says, IS one
that affects the public welfare OF the
entire country and he urges federal
law to stop the devastation OF the
remaining forests and to put the idle
forest lands at work.
1.-TWO thirds of the original forests
of the United States have been culied,
cut over, or burnt, and three -fifths OF
their merchantable timber is gone,
said Mr.. Greeley ''The country is
taking about 10000 100000 cubic feet
of wood annually from its forests ana
is growing about 6,00OOO0,0oO cube
feet. We are cutting timber OF every
class, even trees too small for the saw
mill much faster than they are being
replaced in our forests. There are
still large quantities of timber in the
United States, but they are not IN the
right place. Sixty per cent OF
what il left lies west of the Great
Plains, far from the bulk OF our pop
ulation, agriculture and manlfactur,
ers. The exhaustion of one forested
section after another in the eastern
states has been reflected in rising
transportation costs. The distance be-
tween the average sawmill and the av-
erage home builder is steadily lncreas-
ing; and we shall soon be dependent
for the bulk of our construction lum-
Der upon the forests of the Pacific
coast These conditions have had
vital bearing upon the high cost OF
lumber, which, during the year,
reached prohibitive figure for many
uses and checked the building of homes
which is so urgently needed.
"We have used up our forests with
out growing new ones. At the bot
tom of the whole problem is idle for
est land The United States contains
1926, 000,0 600 acres of cut-over and de
nuded forests containing no saw tim
Der; 81 100000 acres of cutting which
destroy or prevent new timber growth.
The area of idle or largely idle lapd
is being increased by from 100000
to 100000 acres annually as the cut
ting and burning of forests continue.
"To stop the devastation and put
idle lands to work the first step must
be the enactment of a federal law
whose two chief provisions are Cd a
comprehensive plan of federal cooper
alton with the states in fire prevention
and the development of forestry prsc-
tice, and ~ extension of the national
forests through purchases, through the
inclusion of other timberlands now in
federal ownership and through ex-
change"
Speaking of a national forestry pol
icy, Mr.. Greeley said the program
laid down by Col Graves had been
furtl r developed.
"Ihis program" he said. sis based
on the conviction that the problem
of halting forests devastation is fun
national, not a local,
problem, and must be faced and ham
died as such. At the same time it is
felt that the speediest. surest and
most equitable action can be secured
through dependence on the police pow
ers of the states for the enforcement
of such reasonable requirements as
should be made of private owners and
on the state governments for providing
protection of private lands
against fire.
Because the problem itself is es-
national-that is. one affect
ing the public welfare of the entire
and requiring to be attacked
as a whole. not piecemeal-both fed
eral leadership and a large measure of
federal aid are obligatory. 1t should
be obligatory upon private owners to
apply the safeguards necessary to pre-
vent devastation. There is a practical
unanimity Of agreement that the first
and most essential step is a nation
wide protection from forest fires. APP
plicable to all classes of forest land
and borne Jointly by the landowner
and the public"