Evening star., 1926-11-28
NOTED FORESTER SCOUTS
FEAR OF A WOOD FAMINE
Theodore knappen Replies to Col.
Ahern's Criticism of Present Lumber
Policy of United States.

470 900 900 acres OF forest growing
/ land can be made to yield perpetually
considerably more than our present
annual output of about %, 900 100000
cubic feet for all uses"
What bout the enormous waste in
the cutting Of TIMBER" / inquired.
isn't it true that our lumber com
panies are tremendously wasteful in
the cutting of timber? Col. Ahern
says lumber companies throw into the
scrap heap every year 5000, 100000
cubic feet of usabe timber"
Some authorities estimate the
waste as high as that. But there is
q reason for this waste. A lumber
company is not going to conserve
market for those scraps. 1t would
be hardly fair to urge our lumber
companies to save odd pieces of wood
if such conservation would be dead
loss. In times past wood has been 50
plentiful that it was too cheap. There
was only market for the choice
parts of the tree. In Europe, where
timber was scarce, every part of the
tree was used.
Tip From Packers.
1.-The packers are a case Ill point.
When it was possible to have a mar.
ket for what used to be the scraps
left over in the killing of cattle and
pigs the packers began to conserve
everything. They used every part OF
the COW or pig except the moo or the
squeal' Now that lumber is becom-
ing Scarcer Il market is developing for
what used to be looked upon as wood
scraps. From the practical business
point of view conservation must pay
its way.
To-day the Forest Service, the De
partmept of Commerce and the Ma
tional Lumber Manufacturers Asso-
citation are working very successfully
to establish practices that will reduce
milling wastes.
''HundredS of lumber industry en-
ployes compete annually for prizes
for waste prevention ideas and de-
vices. Find a market for every part
of the tree and the law of supply and
demand will attend to the problem of
wood waste. Science and business
are both on the job and will surely
solve it.
THE biggest waste we have at
present in conserving our timber re
sources is from the ravages of fire.
Fire annually burns over mucn
greater area than use consumes"
Exports Aid Economy.
what do YOU think, Mr.. Knappen.
companies are being encouraged by
the Department of Commerce to eN-
port their product? Col. Ahern says
that we should keep our timber at
home SO that we can keep the d0ineS'
tic supply from becoming scarce
Were it not for foreign markets
there would be a greater waste than
now in the forests and mills. The
growing foreign demand is strongly
/ al, ica of
ing. Economy in cutting will thus be
promoted because it is becoming prof
liable to use the scraps from cutting.
Whenever the home market gets
ready to pay an adequate price for
lumber there Will be no exports.
Col. Ahern says that our rapid cut
ting OF timber is imperiling our Soil
from erosion and our water power de.
velopment from a too rapid run off of
rainfall WaterpOWer, says Col.
Ahern, should be generated from
watersthat falls over the dam at as
constant a pace as possible. Cutting
down trees allows the rainfall to rush
down stream too fast at one time and
too slow at others. He even predicts
floods from this rapid run off.
No Effect on Rainfall.
"It is now scientifically demon
Strated that forests have practically
no effect on rainfall and only q little
locally on climate. They do moderate
the rapidity of the run off ana act as
SpongeS. but they do not prevent
floods at one period and the excessive
dwindling OF streams at another.
When forests are cut down the soil is
almost at once covered with brush,
which operates to check the erosion OF
the soil.
The truth about the lumber COM
panies of today is that they are fully
wake to making our forests per
petual investment. They are not TAX
ing Il short-sighted view of the situa-
ton. They are working toward a sit
uation where we will be able to cut
what timber we need for our use and
be assured of enough regrowth so that
we viii avoid any wood famine.
I'VE may have a temporary pinch
Of wood in America, but as a cOmpen-
sation for any such Inconvenience we
have vast and prosperous popula-
tion whose settlement was largely
financed and equipped by overdrafts
on our forests. The forests have paid
for America being the best and cheap
est housed ration in the world, but the
end was worth the sacrifice. For
every dollar of exploited timber we
have thousands Of dollars of wealth
thereby made possible. We couldn't
keep our cake and eat il too, but we
ate it and thereby made preparations
for another coke. Today We are bah
ing another cake to replace the one we
have eaten"
tCcpyrght. 19"6.b
g BTSn nf Coai