The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1940-06-06

Clapp: For an example, let's take
a look at the South. Sixty per cent
of the South is forest land, with
scores of millions of acres of sec
ond growth. But this land is only
one-third fully stocked with trees.
There are 10000 wood-using. plants
down there. In the last years 10
new pulp mills have been built in
the South. The sawtimber trees are
being cut 20 per cent faster than
they are being replaced by new
growth.
Kadderly: Not such a promising
Granger The situation could be
greatly improved if sustained yield
were gwen the right place in the
picture
Clapp: That's true We estimate
that by practicing good forestry and
keeping the fire losses down, growth
can be doubled in the South in
reasonable time. Forest growing
conditions are right But II will take
action by the private cumberland
owners because all but 6 per cent
of the 200 million acres of forest
land in the South is in the hands of
private owners.
Kadderly: Well, it's something to
know what should be done. DR.
Clapp, know you've given a great
deal of study to the question of
what steps we need to take as a
nation to put our forest lands on
good conservation basis. Will you
tell us Just how that picture appears
to you?
Clapp: The need falls into three
divisions Let's take the forest lands
owned by the public first. The
principal need there is for better
management Of the timber resource,
including cultural operations and
better protection from losses by in
sects. diseases, and fire. If we
could increase this work, it would
make jobs for lot of people in
stranded agricultural areas.
The second division covers far
larger acreage. That's the private
ly owned forest lands which repre-
sent about SO per cent of the coun-
try's entire forest land area. This
division includes need for better
protection of our forests, but the
field of education and economics is
another real need. We should have
a county forester organization to
help farm forest owners with their
problems. And similar organiza-
ton to help industrial owners.
The Farm Credit Administration
should have Forest Credits Bank
to meet the needs of industrial and
non-farm timber owners for long
time loans at reasonable rates of in
terest. But owners obtaining loans
should be required to give their for
ests good management We need
to continue assistance to states in
working out equitable ways to as
sess and tax forest properties.
To stabilize communities. we need
legislation to establish joint sus-
tained-yield units of private and
national forest timber. Because of
the public interest in private forest
lands. and of the public investments
in them, there should be public con-
trolls to stop the destruction and de-
terioration of the forests. This is
one Of the most important steps in
a nation wide forest program. IT,
the public welfare is not to suffer,
we must take the necessary steps to
see that private forest lands are
SO they will always be
productive, give reason
able protection to watersheds, and
do their share in safeguarding local
communities. 1t takes SO long to
grow a forest that the job can be
done by private interests only on
certain forest lands. A large area
will have to 60 into public owner
ship to protect the public's interests
in these lands.
I've talked too long, but those are
matters and i didn't want
to leave any of them out.
Kadderly: That's all right, DR..
clapp. The old forest frontier is
practically gone, and it's interest
ing to have your views Of what a
new forest frontier can and ought
to be.