Wausau pilot. [volume] (Wausau, Wis.) 1896-1940, 1920-01-13
FORESTS WILL BE
EXHAUSTED
Federal and State Action 20 Save
Lumber Sources is Advocated In
FOrester's Rep0rt-Suggested
Program Outlined


The rate of depletion of the forests
OF this county is more than twice,
probably three times, what is actually
being produced by growth in form
seryiceable for products other than
firewood. Consequently, high prices
OF lumber are not wholly due to in
creased costs % production. An inn
portant factor is the eyer-retreating
sources of timber supply. Already the
supplies of all the great eastern CEN
ters of production are approaching
exhaustion, with the exception of the
South, and even there most of the
mills have not over 10 to Is years
supply of virgin timber. Already the
southern pine is being withdrawn
from many points as competitive
factor and its place taken by western
timbers. This inevitably results in
added freight charges, which the con-
sumer must pay.
Remedy Outlined In Report
These facts are called to public at
tention in the annual report of the
forester of the United States Depart
ment OF Agriculture, recently publish
ed. Their presentation is accompanied
by plea that the Nation adopt an
enlarged program of public acquisi-
tion of forests by the Government, the
States, and municipalities, and protec-
tion and perpetuation of forest
growths on all privately owned lands
which may not better be used for agri-
culture and settlement.
In the early years of the present
century it looked as though the man
agement OF forests as permanent
productive properties might be vol
unfairly undertaken by private own
ers on a large scale, but since then the
situation has materially changed. The
need for the adoption of an enlarged
program of acquisition, the United
States Department of Agriculture
points out, has become increasingly
urgent. More than 20 years ago the
Division of Forestry, as it was then
called, offered to give advice and as
slstance TO private timber owners who
might wish to consider applying for
est management to their properties.
BY the middle of 1905 requests had
been received for the examination of
private holdings, large and small,
comprising in all 10,900,00O acres of
land. Many of these requests were
from large lumber companies and
other owners of extensive timber
tracts. On the strength of the show
ing made by the preliminary examin-
ations, number of these large own
ers entered into cooperative agree
ments for the preparation of working
plans.
Nation and States Must Join
But private forest interests failed
to follow up the beginning and the
Federal Government and the States,
in the opinion of the Department of
Agriculture, must join hands to work
out program that will correlate
public and private efforts looking to
the protection and proper adminis-
tration of forests. The function of
the Federal Government, in addition
to handling the National Forests, it is
suggested, would be to stimulate.
guide, and coordinate State action and
conduct necessary Investigations re-
garding the best methods of forestry.
to assist the States in the classifica-
tion of land, and to harmonize action
between the different States. The
States would also handle public pro-
perty owned by them and they would
have further direct responsibility in
connection with the protection and
perpetuation of private forest lands.
With regard to the Federal attitude
toward private forestry, it is suggest
ed that the Government would work
primarily through State agencies. To
initiate the proposed policy, Federal
law would be necessary authorizing
the Government to cooperate with the
States in bringing about the protec-
tion and right handling of forest
lands within their borders and pro-
viding means for such cooperation.