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Through the establishing of forests that are permanent, abundant, and well distributed, this country must and shall be placed upon a selfsustaining basis. I hope and confidently trust that this day may not be too long delayed. I know that the farsighted, well directed efforts of such an organization as yours can do much toward hastening the dawn. Very sincerely yours,

(Signed) HENRY C. WALLACE, Secretary.

LETTER FROM THE SECRETARY TO THE

PRESIDENT

THE WHITE HOUSE

WASHINGTON

January 12, 1924.

My dear Mr. Forbes :

Your letter of December 29th, transmitting resolutions adopted by the Fifth Southern Forestry Congress, is before me. I have been at some pains and effort to examine into this matter somewhat carefully. I think I can best answer it by forwarding to you the substance of a letter written by the Secretary of Agriculture, Mr. Wallace, to whom the resolutions were referred. The essential features of Secretary Wallace's letter I am enclosing herewith.

Most sincerely yours,

(Signed) E. T. CLARK, Secretary.

Mr. R. D. Forbes,

Secretary, Southern Forestry Congress, Inc.,

323 Customhouse,

New Orleans, La.

Enclosure.

QUOTATION FROM A LETTER OF SECRETARY WALLACE

"As to Federal forestry legislation, the resolution covers practically the provisions of the bill introduced in the House of Representatives on February 7, 1923, by Hon. John D. Clarke, of New York. Before introducing this bill, Mr. Clarke submitted a draft copy to President Harding, who gave it his approval in a letter to Mr. Clarke, dated January 24, 1923. I also heartily approved that bill, and am now prepared to advocate the passage of the bill (S. 1182) similar in many respects, introduced on December 15 by Senator McNary, Chairman of the Select Committee on Reforestation of the United States Senate, which, for the past year, has held hearings in our different forest regions and given much thought to the subject. This bill would authorize, among other appropriations, appropriations as large as $2,500,000 each year for coöperation with the States in protecting forest lands from fire and in study

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Let me express through this letter my very real appreciation of your invitation to be with the Southern Forestry Congress at its meeting in Savannah this month, and also my profound regret because I am not able to do this.

Although I shall not actually be with you I need not say, I hope, that I am heartily with you in your aims and purposes. To my mind, the Southern Forestry Congress is performing a very real, a very necessary, and a very vital service not only to the South but to the entire country.

So far as the forestry situation is concerned, this country has but little time to delay before applying remedial measures. We have danced overlong to the tune of "Endless Resources," little realizing that the piper must some day be paid. We have reduced our original 822,000,000 acres of virgin forest land to less than 138,000,000. This land is being cutover now at the rate of about 10,000,000 acres yearly.

It would seem bromidic indeed to say today, especially to such a gathering as this, that forest land is one of our basic national resources and that our national welfare depends upon its productivity. Yet the fact that from a quarter of a century to more than a century is required to mature the forest crop has a significance that is neither widely nor deeply realized. Shortages in forest-grown material cannot be rectified in a season or two like shortages in wheat or cotton. If the people of the United States wait until the injury to social and industrial wellbeing for lack of wood crops is overwhelming, the loss in time before any remedy could be made effective would create little short of a national disaster.

In furthering tree growth on a national scale it must be realized that an obligation rests upon the public to reduce the forest hazard by legislation and by policy functions directed at the origin of forest fires, and also to assist land owners in the cost of fire control and fire suppression. The public has a very specific obligation to adapt the taxation of forest growing land and what it produces to the reasonable requirements of an undertaking which requires for its harvesting more than a quarter of a century.

The results of treating our timber as a mine rather than as an everrenewable crop has been to leave 81,000,000 acres of forest land largely barren, 250,0000,000 acres that are only partially productive, and each year add to these from 5,000,000 to 10,000,000 acres.

Through the establishing of forests that are permanent, abundant, and well distributed, this country must and shall be placed upon a selfsustaining basis. I hope and confidently trust that this day may not be too long delayed. I know that the farsighted, well directed efforts of such an organization as yours can do much toward hastening the dawn. Very sincerely yours,

(Signed) HENRY C. WALLACE, Secretary.

LETTER FROM THE SECRETARY TO THE

PRESIDENT

THE WHITE HOUSE

WASHINGTON

January 12, 1924.

My dear Mr. Forbes :

Your letter of December 29th, transmitting resolutions adopted by the Fifth Southern Forestry Congress, is before me. I have been at some pains and effort to examine into this matter somewhat carefully. I think I can best answer it by forwarding to you the substance of a letter written by the Secretary of Agriculture, Mr. Wallace, to whom the resolutions were referred. The essential features of Secretary Wallace's letter I am enclosing herewith.

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"As to Federal forestry legislation, the resolution covers practically the provisions of the bill introduced in the House of Representatives on February 7, 1923, by Hon. John D. Clarke, of New York. Before introducing this bill, Mr. Clarke submitted a draft copy to President Harding, who gave it his approval in a letter to Mr. Clarke, dated January 24, 1923. I also heartily approved that bill, and am now prepared to advocate the passage of the bill (S. 1182) similar in many respects, introduced on December 15 by Senator McNary, Chairman of the Select Committee on Reforestation of the United States Senate, which, for the past year, has held hearings in our different forest regions and given much thought to the subject. This bill would authorize, among other appropriations, appropriations as large as $2,500,000 each year for coöperation with the States in protecting forest lands from fire and in study

ing the effects of present tax laws upon forest perpetuation, which is an amount more nearly commensurate, in my opinion, with the importance and seriousness of these problems.

"The resolution refers to research conducted by the Forest Products Laboratory and also that of the Federal Forest Experiment Stations. The purpose of the latter is to secure a technical basis for the growing of timber, and of the former to secure the scientific information necessary to reduce waste and permit the effective utilization of wood. The present drain upon the forests of the United States through cutting and fire is estimated at approximately 25 billion cubic feet annually. At the present time this drain is being replaced by new growth only to the extent of 6 billion cubic feet, or approximately one-fourth. By a series of simple measures, such, for example, as universal fire protection and the leaving of seed trees where necessary to insure a new timber crop, it would be possible ultimately to increase the growth of the forests of the United States to approximately 14 billion feet. The gap between a possible growth of 14 billion and 25 billion cubic feet can be made up only by intensive forest management. Such management must depend upon a technical knowledge of trees and forests of a character which can be secured only by forest experiment stations. With the necessary basic information, it would be possible ultimately to grow upon the present area of forest land an amount of timber slightly in excess of the present drain. The place of the forest experiment station is, therefore, to furnish the scientific basis upon which, alone, timber growth can be increased from 14 billion to 25 billion cubic feet. In a number of important forest regions we now have no forest experiment stations, and in all of the remainder the force and equipment is so limited as to make it possible to cover only a part of the most urgent problems and that in an unsatisfactory and inadequate way.

"Twenty-two and one-half billion cubic feet are cut from our forests each year and out of this total we waste, avoidably and otherwise, about 9 billion. By the elimination of obvious waste in the woods, the manufacture of lumber, and in its remanufacture and use by the general application of technical knowledge already available, and by thoroughgoing research in the properties, protection, and utilization of wood, it should be possible to save at least 61⁄2 billion board feet of lumber alone each year and additional amounts of other material. This saving is essential to extend the life of our present timber supply and thus help to bridge the gap between the existing virgin forests and new timber crops. Such a saving should mean greater profits to manufacturers and by increasing the preparation of the crop which can be utilized it should help to make timber growing more profitable. The research which will make possible a large part of the saving is, broadly, the function of the Forest Products Laboratory. But the Laboratory with its present personnel and equipment is able to cover only a part of the most urgent problems which underlie the effective utilization of timber and the reduction of waste.

"The recommendation for the continued acquisition of forest land by the Federal Government and for an appropriation for that purpose of at least two million dollars is in accord with the views of the National

Forest Reservation Commission and of the Forest Service. While present financial conditions operate against an appropriation as large as that recommended, the members of the Southern Forestry Congress no doubt will be gratified to know that the budget for the fiscal year 1925 carries an item of one million dollars for that purpose, this representing an increase of $550,000 over the appropriation for the present year.

"There is complete accord between the War Department and the Department of Agriculture on the subject of devoting to National Forest uses the areas suitable for such uses which were acquired for military purposes during the war but not at present needed for such purposes. Careful examinations have been made of the majority of the more important of such areas; the reports thereon have been reviewed by a joint committee representing both Departments, and the Secretary of War has already given his approval to legislation which will make a number of larger camps National Forests, subject, however, to unhampered use for military purposes should the need arise. I am sure that the progress in this line is in complete accord with the wishes of the Southern Forestry Congress and that the results will meet their highest expectations."

THE FRENCH NAVAL STORES SYSTEM AND
ITS LESSONS

COL. W. B. GREELEY

CHIEF, U. S. FOREST SERVICE

It is apparent to all students of the situation in the southern pine forests that the time has come for the naval stores industry of the South to look very keenly into its future, to take stock of its methods, and to give thought to the naural resources upon which it is dependent, with a view to shaping its course to meet a radical change in circumstances. I believe that our industry has much to learn from the French in this preparation for the future. In order that we may fairly decide whether or not this is true we might take a look at the present situation in the American naval stores industry and compare it with the situation in France. Then, if possible, we will ascertain the factors that are accountable for the great differences that exist. When the principles that underlie the success of the French industry have been clearly set out where we can see and weigh them, we can consider the practicability and desirability of their application to our conditions.

The American naval stores industry has dominated the world's trade in those essential commodities, rosin and turpen

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