The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-01-13
TREE5 DISAPPEAR; NO ATTACHMENTS
Within Ten Years Southern States Will Be Buying
 Lumber

One decade hence will see the south without timber for shipment and short on supplies for its homes and industries unless immediate steps to- ward reforestation are began. H. J. Schwietert of the Illinois Central railroad said Saturday.
 MT. Schwietert, who was in Bir- mingham in connection with the an- nual meeting of the Railway Devel- opment Association of the Southeast, and his corps of experts have made a thorough study of the southern timber lands. His findings, presented in part to the agricultural workers conference, follow:
 For years the south has been using up the greatest potential asset to be found, with never a thought for the future. Only the short, feeble, taken toward perpetuating the for ests of southern states. There are . few movements which point toward maintaining of timber lands. They, however, are scattered. They are not representative and they are mil croscopic when viewed in terms of the whole.
 Remedies have been offered the south for her ills. from the beginning
 
 south. But the public had better aw;fe now than years later. Real gs-tipI If the present status of tim her res d ces, and of the time that these tcs irces will continue to sup ply ,fe reeds; what it will mean in the wa+ of increased lumber costs when 1re must ship our lumber from ae Ia coast; what 1t will mean u tr 'urpentine operator of the
  Falo3rtsI'.
 NseNnh N"ce Farmers.
 ''Cheap imber means continua- stor uf ricultural colonization; of ia' n4op,r t. Poor settlers cannot afforl tc pay extremely high prices for ira-'el yet without lumber their must have more farmers and bet ter farm buildings. TO have these things, lumber Is essential Yet we are told that with the present rate of consumption in 10 years the south will barely be able to supply her needs, let alone ship to northern and eastern markets.
 ;t timber supply for the future is by reforestation. Europe faced this years ago. They solved it. During the World war our engineers cut saw logs from lands in France where 50 years before could be found nothing but shifting sand dunes Land which was worthless has been held. It has been made worth from S100 to $500 per acre. Reforestation has done this.
 Forests should be maint tained SO that the annual cut does not exceed the annual growth. The forestry service says that 100000 acres of timber land are converted annually into farm lands. Another 1000 900 acres of so-called farm land Is left fit for handling. Here is sad reckoning. This land which is left idle is not reconverted into forests. It returns no income, either now or for the future. Only accident if tim Der grows upon it. Only through the grace of chance and the scarcity of live stock and forest fires.
 O Q O
 Supplying Land.
 These are the lands which must receive our attention. Who are we? Any man, woman or child who loves the south. believes in it and makes his living from it, or who expects or hopes to have children follow along, making a better United States. The virgin forest lands of the south have for more than 15 years supplied the principal timber markets of the United States. But, they have been cut from $50 billion feet down to less than 100 billion, with little or no of fort toward rebuilding or reforesta- tion.
 "Two-thirds of the news print used in the United States comes from Canada. Yet the south can raise pulp wood quickly. and can supply paper mills with raw products which will enable them to manufacture paper cheaper than the Canadian paper may be obtained.
 "The forestry service of the United states department of agriculture is doing what it can. Within the year have been held meetings to discuss and work up enthusiasm toward re- forestation. More than this is neces- sary. It Is time for the states to be- come active.
 If state forestry service will help