The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1920-05-04
CHIEF FORESTER
WARNS j. s. TO
CONSERVE TIMBER

WASHuNGTON May with the
neWspapCrs of the United states Only
two and three days ahead OF theu
print paper supply and many OF
them throwing away advertising III
order 10 continue publishing, the Amrrl~
can Forestry association az Washing
ton points to the way France handles
her forests France teaches "A great
lesson to this country the association
SAYS. and points 10 the housing Aiua-
tion aud the great demand Tor luinneI
At this time In printing the warning
of Col William r Greeley director
OF the American Forestry assoclatloi,
and the new chief forester Of the United
States During the war the biggest
regiment In the world. the Twentieth
Engineers Forest had an opportunity |"
get an idea of French forest manage
meut On this subject col Greeley,
or that regiment, writes in the Amer
lean Forestry Magazine
"A umbCrjaCk sergeant of the IWeh-
tieth Engineers remarked that the lunl
Der business in France seemed to be
concerned more with growing trees than
cutting them into boards ihal IN
a nutshell is the difference between
the tImberand owner in France ana
the timber baron OF America. the
conception Of u forest as land producing
crop after crop Of wood extends from
the intensively managed public forests
OF France down to the peasant VINO
owns half hcctare OF poplars In
swampy bottom
.ro us in the United States, who
are wont TO think OF forestry as posi-
BILE only for the nation or state, II Is
Of interest 10 know that two thirds OF
the wonderfully conserved forests oil
France are owned by private citizens.
The technical care OF these sixteen mil
lion acres OF private forests does nor
differ. in essential respects, from that
given to the state and communal poop
critics.
"About 80 per cent OF them, how,
ever. are devoted to the production OF
hardwood fuel, with crops every ~
years. whereas the aim of the puohc
forests is to grow as much large tlm
her as possible Upon her privately
owned forests France thus depends for
the bulk OF her lumber and fuel WOOD
Private forestry is vital factor IN
her national economy,
"The hardwood CopptCe, or sprouts,
which furnish the bulk OF the wood
fuel Of the country and were cut over
enormous areas to keep the American
army warm, have an average value on
the stump OF probably $500 per cora
The value of fuel crop grown on a
well managed forest I'm 20 years ranges
from, $50 to $50 an acre AS il stands
In the woods; and AN addiuonal stump
age return is usually realized from the
small brush or fagot wood. The stump
age values Of the principal timber trees
Of France averaged, in 1917, at least
five times the prevailing prices OF SIM
liar species in the United States. Mari
time pine stumpaEe in the Iandes:
comparable to rather low grade shortleai
pine in the Southern states, soId Tor
around S26 per thousand board rect.
The oak timber Of all grades, oough'
By our army In the Loire river valley
Al. trraf for 4h OIL a.
Marine, probably averaged S36 per thou
sand board feet on the stump, the
silver fire and spruce which We OBJ
tanned in the Vosges and Jura noun
taIns, timber averaging six to elghI
logs TO the thousand feet cos about
$50 per thousand standing In the forest
but IN buying selected piling we some,
times exceeded 500 per thousand hoarc
feet. And do not overlook the FAC
that these prices were obtained tol
stumpage grown as thick as the specte
and class Of product permit.
"The lumber manufacturing industr!
has grown up upon and adapted itsel
10 n system OF forest management which
permits but small cuttings nj any one
place in any one year or series of years
Gases are rare when the wel-heine
and permanenCe Of the forest are sac
rificed to the requirements OF manu-
featuring enterprise-an exact opposite
ed states where the manufacturer owns
the timber and has denuded one forest
region after another In order to supply
his large. stationary mills to their maxi
mum capacity While this relation is
largely a result rather than cause oi
the economic status Of private forestry
in France. It indicates the industrial ad'
justments which will become necessary
In America as our emphasis shifts from
supplying sawmills TO growing timber
1.-THE situation OF France today Is
striking warning that the United states
can ill-afford the national loss OF idle
land Public agencies doubtless mus
assume the greater part OF the i'm
mediate task OF growing timber on oul
idle cut-over land But publicly owned
forests can not do all Of it in the United
States any more than in France. oul
national policy should aim definitely 1nt
unequivoCally at the practice OF forestry
by private owners as rapidly as tina
can he brought about by letter meth
DDS OF taxing timberland, by the CO
operation and educational help OF STATE
and federal agencies, and by the rec
IGNITION, on an equitable basis. OF tn,
obligations carried by forest ownership,