Show fO FOREST J l LOSSES i I fARM MENACE I OffiCIAl DECLARES Secretary of Agriculture Points Need of Saving on Private Lands Timber Is Held Import Important nt Cr Crop p pC C C dissipation of privately privately ran ran- owned forests in every timber pro producing region of the country is a matter of grave concern the seriousness of which the public does not seem to recognize according to a communication received by Miner M. M r. r Justin field agent of the I bur bureau au of crop estimates for or Utah and Nevada from David F. F Houston secretary secretary sec sec- I of agriculture Timber is an important farm arm crop the secretary of agriculture declares The rne average farmer never has stopped to o think about this fact tact or at least I he ie apparently never has taken it into account in his farm operations he I out But the value of ot the products prod prod- from the farm wood lot was greater than the potato crop and prOd prOd-I nearly nearly near near- ly ly double that of the tobacco crop in the last census Farmers also consume more wood than any other group Mr Houston asserts I LOSSES ARE SEEN If the area having little or no value I Ifor for or other than forest purposes is not protected Mr l Houston writes much of ot it will become practically non non- productive Millions l of acres in the older part of the country where supplies supplies sup sup- plies of ot timber are needed by the communities com- com have become almost value- value less ess Where the land is not valuable for or agriculture large scale lumber operations op- op rations are followed by local industrial Indus- Indus trial rial depression the timber industries migrate population decreases n-i n farms lose ose their local market taxable values decline schools and roads deteriorate and the economic and social life of the he community suffers GROWTH SCARCE At present the greater part of the timber Imber produced is cut from private lands ands on which the appearance of new growth is at best a matter of accident Is s likely to be long delayed or may never ever occur Without ut concerted action under public cooperation and direction the he problem will not be solved Private Private Private vate initiative cannot b depended upon pon to secure the requisite conserva- conserva tion ion The fhe preservation tion of forests in all forest orest regions is of immediate concern and nd importance to farmers Timber Isa is isa a most important farm crop Farm Farmwood Farmwood wood lands lands- comprise about 20 per cent of f the farm area of the country At the he last census the value of the products prod- prod products from them was greater than that of f the potato crop and nearly double that hat of ot the tobacco yield FARMERS CONCERNED CONCERNED Forestry therefore must be as assigned assigned assigned as- as signed to a place in farm tarm management Farmers ar aro arr vitally concerned with national forestry problems forestry problems also They I consume more wood than any other I g and they are interested in seeing that there is available at reasonable I prices a continuous supply of ot lumber and other forest products A sound forestry policy does not conflict with agricultural settlement In fact it fa facilitates facilitates facilitates fa- fa the cultivation of ot land suitable for agriculture and also seeks to secure the proper handling of existing forests and the reforestation of denuded re re- re gions glons On the other lother hand forest I devastation retards agricultural devel devel- I el mV |