INDUSTRIAL FORESTRY ASSOCIATIONS

CHAPIN COLLINS.

Industrial forestry is relatively new in the United States. The profession has grown, particularly since 1930, much as American citizens have grown in their awareness of the practical significance of forestry, of the forester's relationship to national economics and social welfare, of profit and loss in the forest enterprise, of the change that came about when forest industries, which once had asked only how much timber stood on an acre, began to ask how much and in how long a time timber would grow on an acre.

A forester, who earlier had been able to make little contribution to an operation that was concerned almost wholly with the harvest, became essential to an operation that was concerned with husbanding what it had and with growing more for future harvests.

Then professional foresters began to enter industry. By 1930, nearly 400 of them were regularly employed in industry. By 1940, there were 1,000. In 1949, the number of professional foresters in private employ is estimated at more than 2,500. Public employment still absorbs the majority of college-trained men of the woods, but today the most rapidly expanding field of employment is in industry.

This greater awareness of woodland management, from seedling to harvest, was given further impetus by the Copeland Report in 1933, and also by the inclusion of forestry provisions in the National Recovery Administration codes established under the National Industrial Recovery Act of 1933. Both coincided roughly with wider recognition by forest industries, which planned to stay in business, that forest acres must be kept productive and that conscious effort and investment must be made for that purpose.

The recommendations of the Copeland Report met with a mixed reception, but the report did focus attention on the opportunities and responsibilities of private ownership with respect to forest lands. Under NRA in 1934, forest industries were the first to adopt a conservation code, with provisions tending toward forest practices that would assure continuous and adequate timber crops. The committees and activities of that comprehensive program did not end with NRA in 1935. The thinking then engendered continued to influence later action, and, in many instances, machinery then set up by industries continued to operate in other forms.

A DISTINCTION is to be drawn between an industrial forestry association and the other organizations concerned with forests. In such a broad and diverse field as the forests of America, it is not surprising that the latter organizations are many and various. In general, their concern with forestry is based on broad considerations of national welfare. Some restrict their activities to individual States or regions. Others have specific objectives, in which forests play a part, such as conservation of wildlife and recreational facilities. For their membership, they look to public-spirited citizens in general. Although many of them are substantially supported by forest industries, they are not industrial forestry groups as such.

INDUSTRIAL GROUPS, in their forestry activities, are concerned chiefly with the business of growing, protecting, and harvesting trees. Their support comes from those who use wood as their raw material. With other types of associations interested in forests, the industrial group looks to permanently productive forests as its objective, but, in addition, it must consider costs and techniques. Although not all the forest industries are represented now by such groups, the major companies and possibly major production are so represented.

The typical pattern of such industrial activities can be found in trade associations.

First, such activities took the form of consulting services for association members, many of whom believed they could not afford their own forestry departments. But this activity broadened. It was obvious, for example, that forest industries could not depend exclusively upon their own lands for future supply, because collectively they own not more than 18 percent of the commercial tree-producing lands of the country. It became apparent, too, that a public unaware of tree growing as a form of agriculture could be a serious obstacle to forest management on vast areas. So, in many instances, the forestry activities of industrial groups expanded to reach other types of woodland owners and to enlist the understanding cooperation of the public.

This broadening view has given rise to two young but thriving movements in American forestry. One is the Keep America Green program. The other is the American Tree Farms system. Neither is exclusively an industrial activity now, but each had industrial origin and support. Each, in its field, is contributing to better forest protection and management, upon which so many agencies, public and private, are at work. Both function locally, but both have spread across the Nation.

Keep America Green is popular education in forest-fire prevention. Twenty-four States had organized their own Keep Green programs by the beginning of 1949, directed in most instances by State Keep Green committees, in which industry and other interests are represented.

The Tree Farm program is a means of encouraging better forest practices by woodland owners, large and small, and a method of informing the public of the practical purposes and importance of forestry. At the beginning of 1949, the Tree Farm movement was active in 23 States. Its certified tree farms totaled nearly 17 million acres. Although this acreage is not great in relation to the 344,973,000 acres of privately owned forest lands, tree-farm certifications have shown an average increase of 2 million acres a year in the first 7 years of the program. Through publicity and example, the movement helps interpret the nature of our forests to many Americans.

FOREST-FIRE ASSOCIATIONS of the West were among the early organized industrial activities relating to forests. The paramount task of controlling forest fires was assumed by such private groups, sometimes in advance of public action. Often a regional group of timberland owners would pool their holdings, meeting costs by a charge per acre. Following disastrous fires, such as the Yacolt burn in 1902, private protection agencies were formed in Washington, Oregon, California, and Idaho between 1905 and 1912.

The principle thus established of each timber owner paying the cost of protecting his own property in a cooperative arrangement with neighboring owners set an important precedent. The principle was incorporated into several State compulsory patrol laws. The associations were instrumental in developing Western State fire codes; they stressed practical problems first, such as adequate equipment in the field, closed burning seasons, compulsory slash disposal, and shut-downs during bad fire weather. They created a consciousness of the necessity for joint action in combating a common enemy. Such experience contributed much to the molding of the Clarke-McNary Law of 1924, which expressed the Federal policy of cooperation with States and private owners in forest protection.

THE WESTERN FORESTRY AND CONSERVATION ASSOCIATION, organized in 1909, became a sort of "grand lodge" of both private and public protection agencies in the West. It is probably senior today in the industrial forestry field. The genius of its manager, Edward T. Allen, gave western forestry far-reaching national, as well as local, leadership.

Its activities illustrate the changing emphasis resulting from changing conditions. Originally, it was to be a clearing house to promote cooperation in all private, Federal, State, and provincial forestry activities chiefly fire in Idaho, Washington, Oregon, Montana, California and British Columbia. In its early days it concentrated largely on forest fires, and exchanged information on fire-control problems, reports, and statistics. It sponsored and promoted State forest codes. It won quick recognition for effective work.

In the years since, the association has undertaken various educational tasks. It published a textbook on western forestry; made basic studies in forest taxation, which led to later improvements in land taxes; investigated timber insurance problems; studied pine blister rust; and provided professional foresters to help western companies get better forest production.

Today its emphasis is on education in forestry, improvement of management practices on small holdings, and other silvicultural activities that tend toward a sustained-yield program for its area. It serves as a coordinating force among private, State, Federal, and provincial agencies. Its annual meetings have become notable in its region as forums on forest subjects.

THE NATIONAL LUMBER MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION established a permanent forestry committee pursuant to a resolution adopted on April 20, 1920. The resolution recognized that "both national and industrial welfare demand early development of an American forest policy which shall substitute for indifference or accident an intelligent, practical, equitable, and concerted program for the perpetuation of forest supplies."

The association is a federation of regional lumber associations and represents these associations in broad national policy and action. The work of its forestry committee and conservation department has been largely informational, statistical, and legislative. The association has usually employed one or more foresters to assist in these. activities.

In the field of practicing forestry, the organized efforts of the lumber: industry have been concentrated in the regional groups. In the field of general education along forestry lines, the national association has given support to the American Forest Products Industries.

THE SOUTHERN PINE ASSOCIATION created its conservation department in 1934, but its interest in forestry goes back many years before that. In 1916, it was instrumental in calling the first Southern Forestry Conference, one of whose objectives was to initiate and support State legislation to promote forestry in the South. Five Southern States had forestry departments then; the conference and subsequent activities played a part in creating such departments in all Southern States.

The organization of Southern Pine's conservation department in 1934 was further recognition of the fact that the permanent existence of the lumber industry in the Southern States depended on the continuous production of timber crops on privately owned woodlands. The conservation department has represented the southern pine lumber industry, in 12 States, in efforts to develop adequate control of forest fires, adopt sound cutting practices and equitable taxation of forest lands, strengthen State forestry organizations, and develop legislation relating to forests.

The conservation committee consists of members from each of the southern pine-producing States. Its activities are directed by a technical forester and an assistant forester.