The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1921-11-13
FOREST EXPERIMENT
STATION NEEDED IN
SOUTHERN STATES

government to bring back their old
time supremacy and build them up as
reservoirs of timber for American
homes and industry. So says the For
est Service United States Department
Of Agriculture, in a report recommend
ing the general enlargement of the new
Southern Forest Experiment Station.
This station is one of an ultimate Sc
ries of ten to cover the needs of the en-
tire country.
Why the southern pine belt needs
such station is set forth IN detail as
follows:
Many Reasons for Establishing a Sta
ton.
The original southern pine forests
occupied 125, 100000 to $50, 900, 600 acres.
THE present area OF virgin timber Is
only 23.5oo 600 acres.
The present area of waste forest
lands is 8o,oOO,000 acres.
-Four -fifths of the original $4,000
100000 feet have been cut since 1870,
chiefly since 1890.
The normal pine cut has been 49,
100000 900 out of a total of AZ, 000, 600, :
600 feet for the United States, but the
crest of production has already been
passed
Other sections of the United States
are even more interested than the
south in continued production, since
two-thirds or more of the total cut for
the past 90 years has been the main
source of supply to the great eastern
and middle western markets.
by 1880 increased local demands
promise to take all of the decreased
cut leaving the rest of the country de-
pendent upon the Pacific coast.
1.-THE Florida citrus industry. which
consumes 13o000 900 boxes annually and
is planning to treble its output In eight
years, is apprehensive as to the future
and Is considering California as a
source of wod supplies.
'gThe naval stores industry of the
United States, whose production is still
80 per cent Of that of the entire world,
In spite of a decrease of so per cent or
more during the past 90 years, will
within 10 years supply no more than
American requirements
World leadership in naval stores
production is passing to the artificially
established maritime forests of France.
Less investigative work has been
done in the south than in any other
important timber region. That done,
as in most eastern regions, has been
general in character, and the time has
come when little more can be accom- 4
plished except by the intensive investi-
cations possible at forest experiment
station.
IAN adequately manned and equip
ped forest experiment station is needed
in the southern pine belt to show how.
to bring back into production $4,000, 900.
acres of waste forest land and how to
increase production on 10000. 600 acres
additional which for the most part is
growing much less than it should.
A station is needed to develop meth
DDS of cutting which will keep 23,500,-
900 acres of virgin pine stand fully
productive.
Fire Protection Needed for Young
Trees.
I'm addition to the solution of the
problem of artificial demonstration and
the developments of methods of cut
ting which will insure natural repro
ductioD, it must develop effective
methods for the care and protection of
young stands from fire. Methods must
be worked out which will permit graz
ing in connection with timber growing.
Better practice IN turpentining must
be developed to permit maximum
yields of naval stores with the mini
mum of damage to growing stands.
Data on the growth and yields of diff
ferent species under different condi
lions will be needed by all forest own
ers. The work of the station should be,
in short, to cover all the problems in
volved in the management of the for
ests from the seeding to the mature
stand Similar work is also necessary
in the cypress and hardwood forests
of the Gulf states"
The 10 forest experiment stations
proposed Of which that for the south
ern pine belt is one, would ultimately
require each a technical staff Of from
6 to II men, the report states, and the
work, for the forest area of the United
States would cost an eyerage of about
one-tenth Of cent an acre for forest
investigations. The entire program is
set forth in detail in the report, Forest
Experiment stations" circular No 1S3,
United States department of agricul-I
ture, copies of which may be obtained
free of charge upon application to theI
department at Washington.