The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-12-15
POLICY ASSURES
TIMBER GROWTH
National Forests Administered in Such
= Way as to Promote Greatest Pos-
sible Utilization.


the department Of agriculture In such
! way 81 to promote the greatest posi-
Die utilization for all purposes and at
the Same time the greatest possible
growth OF timber, the secretary of az
rsculture states in his annual report
to the president, made public today,
The administration Of the forests under
the policy developed by the department,
the secretary states, includes provi-
sions for the following:
Protection from fire.
Regulation OF cutting, tree planting
and forest management to secure the
maximum growth of timber.
Full utilization of forage resources
for livestock raising.
Classification Of the forest lands
and the elimination of areas not suit
able for farming.
The use of the lands for wide range
Of purposes, including industrial devel-
opments and recreation.
The fullest possible development OF
water powers
The readjustment OF boundaries to
include forest lands and to exclude
other lands
In the administration of this policy.
the secretary states, the well being OF
local communities. largely agricultural,
is a primary consideration. The policy
also oontemplates. in the language OF
the secretary:
"gThe extension of the national forests
through the purchase of lands which
will protect the watersheds of naviga-
BILE streams. The national forests es-
tablished by executive order or by leg
islation now cover the headwaters of
nearly all the important streams be-
yond the Mississippi and protect enor-
NOUS investments in irrigation works,
irrigable farms, and hydro electric de-
velopment They are now slowly be-
ing extended by purchases over the
watersheds Of navigable streams in the
eastern states and should be extended
stiH further as rapidly as possible.
This policy represents today the most
striking application of public foresight
to land problems in the history of the
United States.
Scientific research with a view to:
"Ascertaining and demonstrating
through the activities of forest expert
ment stations the cheapest and most
effective methods of growing the max
mum timber crops of the best species
Products Investigations conferred
mainly at the forest products labora-
tory at Madison, Wis, to ascertain and
demonstrate means of preventing
waste and the most effective means
for tho manufacture and utilization of
our forest, resources. These investiga-
tons are designed to extend the life
OF our present resources, reduce to a
minimum the production necessary to
meet future requirements, and indi-
reetly to make the growing of timber
more profitable.
Investigations of timber resources,
the extent of forest lands, and other
economic questions, such as timber
taxation, in order to secure data which
must underlie the development and APP
plication of a national forest policy
Dissemination of information and
cooperation with states, timlberland
owners, and farmers in the protection
and management OF public and pri-
vately owned forests and Woodlots.
These activities include:
Fire protection through cooperation
between the federal government, the
state government and private owners.
Cooperation with the management
OF privately owned timberlands to
check their devastation and assure the
continued use for timber growing of
lands no. better suited for other pur-
poses.
"The dissemination of information
which win make possible greater and
better production on The 10000, 900
acres OF farm woodlots owned by the
individual farmers of the nation.
Woodlot products now rank in value
as one of the first three or four princi-
pal farm crops Of the country The
yield of these farm woodlots can be i'm
mensely increased by better methods.
Publicly owned forests with the
greatest additions which can be antici-
pated can not alone meet our require
ments for wood. The department is
therefore attempting by all means at
its disposal to secure the adoption of
a national policy for the production of
timber on the privately owned lands
most suitable for this purpose"
An administrative force remarkable
for It's efficiency has been built up and
trained in this work, the secretary says.
He continues:
been developed under which the forest
reproduces naturally, and these re-
quirements have been so harmonized
with practical limitations of numbering
that the demand for national forest
timber has grown steadily. The condi-
ton Of the national forest ranges has
been very greatly improved and at
the same time the stock which they
can support without damage has been
increased by approximately one-third
A system OF fire protection has been
es ta'bished which has stimulated fire
protection throughout the United
States and is serving as model to
state and private agencies alike. In
general all national forest resources
have been brought into use. Western
public sentiment, at first decidedly
hostile, now almost universally sup
ports the present form of admInistra-
ton, and western stcclmen have even
gone 50 far in many instances as 10
demand the extension of the national