Bogalusa enterprise and American. (Bogalusa, La.) 1918-19??, 1921-04-28
Colonel Greeley Urges Refores,aio5
to insure Continuous ProdDs

| Excerpts from address by Col w. B.
| Greeley, Chief of the United States
Forest Service:
Provision for a continuous and suf-
ficient supply of timber in the United
| States is one of the real economic
! problems which must be worked out
by the present generation. Three
| fourths of our primeval forests are
| gone. Sufficient timber for the fu-
| ture can be assured only by the gem
eral reforestation Of land which has
been or is being logged.
The United States, like the nations
of the old world before it, must pass
from the mining of virgin forests to
| the harvesting of growing timber
crops. We are a people of timber
users, we must become people OF
timber growers.
Need of Timber Recognized
The need for timber growing in the
United States has never been recog-
nized so widely as at present. 1t has
| been brought home perhaps most
acutely of all to the millions or more
average citizens who want to build
their homes, but have been unable to
afford it.
It has been brought home to the
newspaper publishers of the country
through the shortage and high cost
of paper. It has been brought home
20 the industries which look ahead for
supply of raw material and who
realize that virgin timber is not much
longer to be had, even at the expense
of heavy freight charges for long dis
lance transportation. More and more
people are asking whether supplies of
second growth are available, or if
not, whether they cam be grown.
Using Second Growth Now
AS a matter of fact, we are al
ready using large quantities of sec
ond-growth timber. There are con-
siderable areas in the south Atlantic
states and in the spruce forests of the
northeast which have been cut over
as many as three times. The box in
dustry in New England depends al
most entirely on second-growth pine
for its raw material. But the criti-
cal point in the whole situation is
that notwithstanding such instances,
the United States is taking timber
from its forests three or four times
as fast as timber is being grown.
We are getting naphazar6 see
ond growth or especially where for
est fires are allowed 20 burn the
Logged off lands no second growth at
all. If the economic necessities of |
the country are to be supplied ade- |
quately, the nation must find a way
to bring about plan-wise reforesta- |
ton on all cut-over lands suited to |
timber growth.
We have an abundance of forest |
land, not suitable or not used for |
farms, and are face to face with
shortage Of forests.
Public Forestry Necessary
The growing Of timber cannot be |
left to private initiative alone. 1t |
cannot be left wholly to the turn of |
profit or loss to the owner of the /
land under existing economic condi- /
tions. It is just the idea that the |
public should 'leave it alone" that /
has led to the timber shortage now /
impending. The public interest must
be protected through. some form of |
equitable regulation of the use of
forest lands to see to it that they are
kept at work growing timber.
Any policy expressing the interest /
Of the public in timber. growing con-
tains as an essential feature the pur-
chase of forest lands by the public
and the growing of timber on them.
But this is not enough. Four-fifths
of our forest lands are in private
ownership. It is wholly impracUlc-
able to plan for the acquisition of
enough of this enormous area by the
federal government and by the states
to supply our future timber needs.
Federal and state holdings should
be increased, but at best they can as
sure only partial supply. The real
problem lies in securing productiont
on the privately owned forest lands,
and for this public action is neces-
sary.
Justice to Timber Land Owners
If the public is to secure the wise
use of privately owned forest lands It
must in ali equity offer its co-opera-
tion or even its participation. Public
aid must be available to the forest
owner in controlling the high fire
hazard attendant upon an inflamma-
bic investment which must be carried /
over a long period of time. Public
aid must usually be granted through
an adjustment of taxation to the ma
ture and growing period of forest
crops.
Farm crops would not be grown If
they were taxed twice a week during
the growing season, nor can forest
crops be generally grown Is subject
to the full burden Of taxation 80 TO
40 times before they become market
able.
The public must put around forest