The Birmingham age-herald., 1924-11-30
State Forester Says State Must Grow Or Import
 Its Lumber
BUNKER OUTLINES
 STATE PROGRAM
U. $. Government Helps Pay Salaries Of Sev-
 eral Rangers
(State Capital Bureau)

Alabama must grow it's own timber, or | import it from the Pacific northwest at an additional cost of millions of dol lars year for freight charges alone, according to Major Page s. Bunker, state forester. In outlining today the activities of the state forestry depart ment erected by the last legislature, Ma jor Bunker pointed out the economic importance of growing a timber crop on the lands of the state not more valu- able for other purposes. He gave in teresting details of the program under taken by the state forestry department in its work on behalf of proper handl- ing of the forest resources and possi- bilities of the state.
 Mention was made by Major Bunker that the state commission of forestry has entered into cooperative agree ment with the United States Forest Service for carrying on aggressive for est protection work in this state. The federal government has allotted to Ala bama for this work approximately $2O,- 900 for the federal fiscal year, begin ming July l, he stated.
 Timber Getting Scarce
 "The work of the state commission of forestry has been in progress for only nine months, but the developments have been sufficient to indicate clearly the character and extent of the activities necessary to accomplish the objects of the organic forestry law" Major Bun ker stated. For many years farsighted citizens of the state have been conc erned with the growing scarcity of lum- Der and other wood products and the consequent high prices, the depopula- tion of the former timber and naval stores producing regions, the deteriora- tion of the abandoned lands under erosion and frequent fires, the lowered land values, general unemployment in the natural timber growing portions of the state and the resultant economic stagnation over large and formerly prosperous areas. The universal con- clusion was that the remedy for such conditions lay in growing more timber to take the place of that which had been cut. In other words, under such con ditions, to develop the practice of for estry on lands not more valuable for some other purpose, of which there are many million acres, it is inevitable that the state must take the lead.
 "State work in forestry had its be- ginning in Alabama in the forestry act of 1923, providing for the establishment of commission of forestry and tech nical and administrative organization to carry the purposes of the act into ef- feet. The Alabama law recognizes the fundamental economic chracter of the forestry problem and also the scientific, educational and administrative nature of it's solution The legislature was 4La C., 4hok T nvT our own timber we must import it from the Pacific northwest. This means that the people of Alabama would have to pay for freight charges alone an additional cost of from six to eight mil lion dollars per annum, while their own timberlands would be lying idle and unproductive.
 Prevention Fires
 "The most direct aid to forestry lies in fire prevention and suppression. The commission of forestry has entered into q cooperative agreement with the United States Forest Service for carry ing on aggressive forest protection work in the forest land sections of the state. The federal government has allotted to Alabama for this work approximately S2O,O0O for the federal fiscal year, be- ginning July. The policy of the com mission in extending the work of fire protection provides for the establish ment of ranger districts in the various localities of the state as rapidly as To- cal sentiment and other conditions war rant such action. Eight such districts have already been established and more are in process of organization.
 The utmost care is taken in the se- lection of the local forest ranger. The commission prescribes very high stan dards in this connection, and in each case the ranger must be man of high standing in the community and one whose views and judgment are deferred to in large measure by his neighbors. While the qualifications are exacting, they are not so stringent that as a rule they may not be complied with by vari- ous residents of the district.
 The principal duties of the ranger comprise informing the residents and school pupils regarding the effects of fire through addresses, personal inter- views and distribution of forestry lit erature; detection and suppression of forest and grass fires; calculating dam age caused by fires, simply forestry demonstrations; estimating timber 1; computing. acreage; posting signs and notices enforcing fire laws; gathering data on various matters having a bear ing on forestry, and making detailed written reports covering all fires and upon his daily work. In times of a fire danger, it is not unusual for 2 ranger to work 12 to IS hours q day.