The Cordova daily times., 1922-01-23
TIMBER SUPPLY NOW SERIOUS
 PROBLEM

and Oregon, leading the entire Unit ed States in lumber cut, and having approximately one-fifth of the re- maining standing timber of the country, should be interested in what the chief forester has to say on tim Der supplies.
 ''rhe outstanding points in our present serious situation as to tim Der supply are the disappearance of three -fifths of the virgin forests of the country, present drain upon our remaining forests over four times their yearly production of wood, and the accumulation of enormous areas of denuded and idle forest lands" states Chief Forester w. B. Greeley fin his annual report to the Secre- tary of Agriculture.
 "The past year has," according to the report, "been notable for general discussion of the forestry situation in both it's national and local aspects and the consideration of remedies. To a considerable degree this discus sion has centered around two pro- posed measures of Federal legisla- tion, known as the Shell bill and the Capper bill. The first of these con- templates, among other things, an extension of public control over pri- vate forest lands under the police powers of the several states. with the Federal government functioning as a cooperating and standardizing agency. The second measure pro- poses the exercise of direct Federal control over private forest lands through the medium of taxation for est products The two measures agree in promoting organized protec- ton from fire over all classes of forest lands in the United States, by state agencies, with financial and technical cooperation from the cen IFal government.
 "It is increasingly evident" says Colonel Greeley, that whatever leg
 slation may be enacted and what ever governmental agencies may be invoked, two principles must be recognized in putting the United States upon self-sustaining basis in timber production. The first is that, because of the long-term na- lure of timber crops and the fore sight necessary to meet future na- tional needs, the public has an in terest in forest lands not common to most forms of private property and most comparable to it's interest in the operation of recognized public utilities. This public interest must be satisfied in the manner of hand ling forest lands The second prin- ciple is that the production of tin Der is an economic process, gov erned by economic laws. Hence. the requirements imposed upon forest owners by the public must be equit- able and practicable from business standpoint. or must be accomDanied by compensating features which make compliance a reasonable under taking for the owner of the property.
 "The state or the nation may in sist that forest lands be productive rather than idle; but in so doing it cannot avoid it's own responsibility for reducing the general risks and losses attendant upon timber pro- duction. which have often made it a hazardous or unprofitable undertak- in which public cooperation with the land owner is necessary, as a corollary to regulating the use of his property, are organized protec- tion against forest fires and the adjustment of taxes on timber lands so as to encourage their employment for growing successive crops.
 "The Forest Service has initiated this year an important step toward the restoration of America's forests, declares the forester "This is a comprehensive study of the require ments in protection and reforesta- tion necessary to keep forest lands productive in each important region of the United States. This study has been undertaken in cooperation with state foresters, timberland owners representatives of forest industry or ganizations, and forest schools. It's purpose is to put in concrete terms just what forestry regulations mean in the Douglas fir region of the Pa