The Coconino sun., 1924-05-23

The approximate stand of timber in
the United States when George Wash
ington became its president was 822
million acres or $500 board feet. OF
this but two-fifths remain. The cut
/ ting and loss of merchantable timber
consume about Sc billion board feet
yearly. In order to give you an idea
of what this annual consumption is,
/ consider for moment that the lorgest
stand of timber in Arizona and New
! Mexico in the Coconino and Sitgreaves
! forests, contain 8 billion feet and rem
ember that have stated that the total
cut and loss of merchantable timber
/ annual in the United States is 56 bill
lion board feet. One timbered region
after another in the eastern states has
been cut out. Less than 5 percent of
I the virgin forests of New England
and but IL per cent of her original
i stand Of timber are left. New York
! the leading state in lumber production
! in 1860, now manufactures only SO
board feet per capita yearly, or not
more than tenth of the requirements
of her own population and industries
Pennsylvania was the leading lumber
manufacturing state in 1860. Sne
/ now cuts less tha the amount CONSUME
ed in the Pittsburgh district alone.
The original pine forests of the Lake
states, estimated at $50 billion feet, is
now reduced to less than billion.
| Virgin pine forests of the south are
estimated to have contained $50 billion
feet of timber. They now contain
139 billion feet. The cut of southern
pine is falling off and within another
decade promises to exceed by little if
at all by the requirements of the
southern states themselves.
Since 1909 the United States has
ceased to be self supporting in news
print paper and the depletion Of pulp
woods in the eastern and northern
states in reflected today in the lnnpor-
tation of two thirds of our newsprints
or newsprint from Canada. One half
/ o fthe timber remaining in the con-
| tinentle United States is in three
states bordering the pacific Ocean
and 81 per cent Of it lies west of the
Great Plains.
The depletion of timber in the
! United States has not resulted prim-
| arily from the use Of our forests, but
from their devastation. The kernel Of
! the production lies in the enormous
areas of forest land which are not pro-
ducing the timber crops that they
should. There are 326 million acres
of cut-over timber lands bearing no
saw timber. Their condition ranges
from complete devastation through
various states of partial restocking
or restocking with trees Of inferior
suuality, to relatively limeted areas
which are producing timber at or near
their full capacity. On 81 million
areas there, is. practically no forest
| growth. This is the result of forest
+ fires and of methods of cutting which
destroy or prevent new timber growth.
There were 27,000 recorded forest
/ fires in 1919, burning total of So
million acres. During the preceding
year 25,OO0 fires burned over 1O1a
million acres Of forest land. An adj
ditional large acreage was burned
each year Of which no record could be
obtained
A remedy for this appalling waste
must be found in a concerted efofrt
/ to stop the devastation of our remain
! ing forests and to put our idle forest
lands at work growing timber. 1t is
| inconcieyable that the United States
should forfeit the economic advantage
of its enormous tinber-growing re-
sources, and that it should 60 on using
up its forests with no provision for
are priced on the basis Of imported
| luxnries and their use is restricted 70
ltthe lowest possible scale Of civilized
I;existence. The concerted action nee
essarys to put an end to forest devast-
| alton must enlist the national gov
erlarent, the respective States, and
| the land owner.
It is impracticable to nationalixe all
! Of the forest land in the country or
even in a major portion Of it. On the
| other hand the, results needed cannot
| BE attained if timber production is let
| TO the initiative Of the private cwner
Of lands OF is sought solely through
compulsory regulation Of private
lands. Not only has the public very
large interests at stake which justify
an assumption of part of the burden;
/ cnrfain Fundamental causes of forest