The Cordova daily times., 1921-03-08
URGES PUBLIC
 TO HELP SAVE
 TIMBER OF US.

WASHINGTON, March 8. Need for public action to save the remain ing forests of the United States from devastation and to provide for timber production on lands already laid waste was strongly urged by Col. W. B. Greeley, chief of the for est service, United States depart ment of agriculture, at the hearings before the house agricultural com mittee on the Shell bill
 The bill authorizes and directs the secretary of agriculture, in co-opera- tion with the various states or other suitable agencies, to recommend the requirements essential for protecting timbered and cut-over land from fire, reforesting denuded lands, and cut ting and removing timber crops so ! that continuous prodution of timber will be promoted. To bring into ef- l feet these requirements, and with a view to furnishing a continuous SUD- ply of timber for the use and neces. sities of the public, cooperation be- T tween the federal government and \ the states is authorized, on such conditions as the secretary of agri- culture may determine to be fair and reasonable.
 Il Federal expenditures under CO., operative agreeemnts with states would, under the bill, have to be at least equaled by state expenditures derived either from general taxation or from owners of forest lands under state requirements. The bill also provides for a survey of the forest resources and requirements of the country, for experiments and inyesti- gat1ons in reforestation and methods of cutting and utilizing timber, for enlarged purchases of land for fed eral administration as national for ests, and for various other features of a national program of forestry.
 In urging the necessity for action, Colonel Greeley pointed out that the essential problem of providing for future needs is a national one.
 New York" he said, imports nine-tenths of the lumber which she requires. Pennsylvania imports four fifths, while a large group of middle western states import 97 per cent of their wood. The bulk of our paper comes from half a dozen states. The growing timber on enormous areas of land adapted by nature to that pur- pose, and scattered throughout 39 states, is just as much national necessity and just as much a matter for national action as the encourage ment of agriculture or the mante- nance of interstate transportation a The growing of timber can not be I left to private initiative alone. Under I the bill the federal government will assume the technical leadership of l the reforestation movement through out the country. While in the prairie states cooperation would have to :. deal chiefly with tree planting, in other states it should cover technical methods of fire prevention, of dis posal of debris left in logging, of cut ting various types of timber so as to secure new crop of the kind de- sired, and the like.
 The largest and most important field for cooperation, however, in all states containing extensive forest areas is in the prevention of forest fires. This is the first step to a con- tinuous supply of timber Once the vast area of cut-over land suitable for timber production Is really pro. tected from forest fires, three-quar- ters of our forest problem is solved. "The cost of forest protection should be shared by the public and the private owner. But fire proven tlon is not an end in itself. The forestation of timber-growing land and the actual production of timber ] is the real objective. Tn no instance should federal funds be expended un- less the state carries out the require. ments found necessary by the federal forest service to make timber grow" ------4---
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