Vol. XVII-No. 7

EDITORIAL.

The National Forestry Situation.

W

E have before us three important papers dealing in a broad constructive way with the Forestry problems of the country. All are by the National Forester, Hon. Henry S. Graves, and like everything from his pen, all merit most careful consideration. The country is fast approaching a crisis in its timber supply. We can no longer delude ourselves with the comforting idea that we have on the west coast, or in any other region, an inexhaustible supply. We have gone through that error on the Atlantic and Gulf slopes; wasted our patrimony, failed to take measures for reproduction and are already paying higher prices for poorer lumber as the result of our extravagant folly.

In the order of issue, the titles are:-"Private Forestry,' "A National Lumber and Forest Policy," and "A Policy of Forestry for the Nation."

Some of the facts brought out are "Less than two per cent. of the sawmills of the country are operating on public forests." "Private owners hold four-fifths of the standing timber of the country, and it is the best and most accessible timber. 29 "The bulk of the original supplies of yellow pine in the South will be exhausted in ten years, and within the next five to seven years more than 3,000 manufacturing plants will go out of existence,” and “shortly the bulk of our lumber supply will come from the Pacific Coast."

The supply of wood pulp suitable for newspaper purposes is precarious, and is being used up with practically small increase yet in sight.

"The Lake States, which a few years ago were the greatest producers of timber, are to-day paying a freight bill of about $6,000,000 a year to bring in lumber and other products from outside sources. Thirty years ago New England exported large quantities of timber, but now has to import 30 per cent of what is used there, and this is in addition to the pulp wood.

"The forest and wood-using industries of France furnished (before the war) employment to over 700,000 persons, and because the forests

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were handled in a way to keep production by growth, this employment was permanent." "England, during the war, had to rely on France, which was supplying the needs of all the armies on the Western Front with wood."

"The public should insist, by adequate legislation, that the destruction be stopped, and that methods be adopted which will leave the forests in a productive condition in this country."

Here we have the germ of an idea which is new to most of our people, for it is a distinct challenge to owners of timber land that they can not do as they will with their own property. It is true, a very old legal maxim proclaims that one must so use his own as not to injure another: but it was a dead letter to the lumberman. Efforts were made to revitalize it during the early stages of the forestry movement in this State, but were repressed because at that time the lumbering interests were powerful enough to have checked and brought into disrepute every effort that the friends of forestry were making. This whole spirit of antagonism has changed, and public control of such private interests as is requisite for the public good has become, or is becoming, an acceptable doctrine. Again we quote Colonel Graves:-"The public, in its own protection, should prohibit destructive methods of cutting that injure the community and the public at large. With the co-operation of the public, constructive measures of forestry are feasible. They should be mandatory."

In the paper "A National Lumber and Forestry Policy," the discussion mainly hinges on such restrictive measures as will prevent private lumbering from working great public harm. The author views the subject from several viewpoints, but says:-"No single measure or action will meet all features of a lumber and forest problem. Each region will have a group of problems. Each region will require special consideration, because of the peculiar local conditions. The required measures for the different regions, correlated for the whole nation, is the thing to be sought in the making of a national program." This would include rates and conditions of lumbering, taxes, possible financial aid from the General Government, forest develop

ment, stabilizing the lumbering, protection against forest fires, importance of water sheds, distribution of water and water power, are but a few of the helpful suggestions offered. But in any view, "Early action is urgent."

The third paper, "A Policy of Forestry for the Nation," broadly states that a program for this purpose "should include action by the public through the Government and the States, action by the land owners and operators, and the means of uniting the efforts of all for the achievement of a common purpose;" because "the service of forests is not alone local, it is national as well, for the products are widely distributed without reference to State lines, the industries are engaged in interstate business and the protective benefits of forests often extend far beyond the localities where they are situated."

All of this is wholesome doctrine now because the coming scarcity and high prices of lumber have forced all industries to the point of obliging timber operators to recognize that forestry has become a nation wide problem! It can not be settled off hand. Much costly investigation from every view point is necessary and the meagre appropriation of $78,728 now proposed is utterly inadequate. Anything short of $250,000 will leave an unsettled problem and probably lead to further confusion. The time for half-way measures has ceased.

J. T. R.

There was money to be had for work which added neither strength, nor stability to the commonwealth, but only the most meagre allowance made for planning and doing the work upon which the very foundation of the State's prosperity depended!

The law of the State provides that all revenue from the Forestry Department shall be delivered to the State Treasury, to be placed in the School fund of the Commonwealth. Already $205,541.21 has been so paid by the Forestry Department.

At this very hour there is an immense quantity of dead chestnut timber for which a good, paying market exists. There is every reason why it should be cut and removed, but to do this requires that the cost of doing so must come from appropriations made for general maintenance of the department, and the revenue is to be turned over to the Treasury and not returned to the Forestry Department from which it was taken. To make matters worse, scarcity of labor and prevailing high prices of labor add to the general difficulty of the problem. The failure to utilize this timber which is so much needed elsewhere than on the State Forest reserves, can not be charged against the Forestry Department, but to the financial muddle which deprives it of the use of its own earnings; nor were contractors available. The Commissioner of Forestry has made every effort to turn this dead timber into revenue for the State.

Don't forget these facts, or fail to recognize

I

N the somewhat one-sided attack now made upon our State Forestry Department, one important fact seems to have been wholly overlooked. It is, that from its very start appropriations have been insufficient. This could hardly have been wondered at in the earlier years, because by the majority of our citizens and legislators it was regarded as an experiment and by others as a useless waste of public funds. Now no intelligent citizen fails to recognize that State Forestry has become a leading, necessary element of public policy. It is clear to every one that there are millions of acres in Pennsylvania that are simply reverting to a desert condition, for want of State ownership and active restorative care.

Itemized statements of funds required in every branch of the service have gone in at each legislative session. These have been scrutinized by every chief executive, reduced to the lowest terms, and then still further reduced in the appropriation.

Department. Simple justice demands it, for both office and field work have been held up for want of funds, and furthermore some of the charges made seem to be matters of opinion which still lack final decision.

Forest tree planting is an established practice in Pennsylvania. Almost 50 million trees have been planted since 1899 when the first trees were set out on State-owned land. The business is thoroughly understood, and you cannot make a mistake by ordering trees, for you will be supplied with planting instructions and technical advice may be obtained by communicating with the Department of Forestry.

Forester A. C. Silvius has established a recreation park in the Buffalo State Forest, known as Crystal Springs Park. It is located on the sile of the State Highway between Bellefonte and Lewisburg.

4. Boundaries of the forests have been surveyed, posted, and kept open, to the extent of 2,000 miles. All corners prominently established.

5. Great numbers of maps and much drafting work done looking to complete mapping by original warrants of all lands purchased and adjacent areas.

6. Topographic surveys begun and over 250,000 acres covered to date.

7. Stock surveys to determine the woody content of the land are progressing with a division of the tracts into compartments by markers and compartment lines, for efficient administration. 8. 3500 miles of new roads built and old roads opened and repaired.

9. 300 miles of trails built.

10. 500 miles of fire lanes established, brushed out, and regularly re-brushed.

11. All old buildings on purchased areas not available for further use removed and the valuable material, if any, used in the repair of other buildings.

12. 175 new buildings constructed and old buildings repaired.

'13. Establishment of a sanatorium for the free treatment of tuberculous patients at Mont Alto in 1902, the first of its kind under direct Government authority.

14. Establishment of the Forest Academy in 1903 for the training of technical foresters to be used in State Forest work. About 100 men graduated to date.

15. A general free right to hunt, fish, camp, picnic, and enjoy the State Forests without the payment of fees.

16. Temporary camping permits issued: 364 in 1919 to 2,231 persons. Previous years run even higher.

17. 514 leases of permanent camp sites made

to citizens of the State who are privileged to erect cabins thereon,

18. Over 325 miles of telephone line built to connect foresters and rangers with the main office.

19. Eleven steel towers erected with 7 more on hand to be put up, and 38 wooden towers, all used as observatory stations in forest protection.

20. The total area of State land is divided into 53 forests. Nearly all are under the direct control of a trained State Forester.

21. Improvement cuttings were made, saw mills and stave mills erected for removal and workingup of damaged and declining timber to save it from loss. The sale of timber and of minerals under State law began. Establishing in lustries in regions where there were none and from which large revenues are derived. Several contracts had to be let to private individuals for the removal of timber because the Department had insufficient funds to do the work.

22. The right to use water for domestic supply purposes granted several towns through the State, notably Chambersburg, Shippensburg, Mont Alto, and South Renovo.

23. In order not to obstruct industry, rights of way under State law granted to oil pipe lines, water lines, telegraph and telephone lines, and electric railroads.

24. The new system of forest fire protection established in 1915 is giving excellent results, reducing the area of State land burned in 6 years from 8 per cent. to a fraction over 1 per cent.

25. Active co-operation with 4 private forest protective associations for the protection of association land from fire. Eleven additional towers have been erected in co-operation with private interests. Patrolling and educational work continued jointly.

26. At present there are 57 foresters, 91 rangers, and 1,352 fire wardens, exclusive of foresters and rangers in the employ of the Department.

27. The total income from the State Forests to January 1, 1920 is $205,541.21, derived chiefly from minerals, and dead, damaged, and dying trees.

28. The removal of declining material is a benefit to the forest and its composition is always improved by taking out inferior material.

29. The investigative projects of the Department cover 40 different subjects and comprise more than 200 sample plots exclusive of plantations, located on 53 different forests.

30. All revenues paid into State School Fund.