CHAPTER I

FORESTRY AND THE WAR

During the war, and for long afterwards, there is bound to be a dearth of foreign timber, with the result that our home supplies will be taxed to the utmost. This, indeed, is already the case, and never before in the history of our country has the demand for British-grown timber been greater or prices higher than at the present time.

Plantations in England and Scotland are being cut down wholesale by the Government, while felling on private estates is going on with such rapidity that in a couple of years at most there is bound to be a dearth of all home-grown timber, and of pitwood in particular.

In the aggregate, our supplies are by no means great, the total area at present under woodlands being only a little over three million acres, to which, however, must be added the amount of field and hedgerow timber—a by no means inconsiderable quantity. Of Plantation timber much is, however, of very inferior quality and only suitable for rough fencing and mining purposes, and this applies generally to that grown throughout England, Wales and Ireland. In Scotland, however, there are large areas of coniferous woods that were planted for purely economic purposes which will yield a certain amount of valuable timber for pit-props and other immediate requirements. The felling of Scotch, Spruce, and coniferous trees will, however, be a blessing in disguise, for of late years both demand and price for this particular class of timber have been by no means great and have hardly warranted the owners of vacant land in undertaking the much-needed extension of our woodlands. Larch, on the other hand, is scarce and always in demand at a highly remunerative price, as also are Ash, Oak and Beech of large size and good quality.

It is useless to go into the question of how long our home supplies of timber will last, this depending largely on the volume of foreign importations and the duration of the war, but, judging from present demands, three years will find our plantations in a more or less depleted condition. The main question we have to consider and decide, without delay, is how our cut-over plantations are to be replaced by the replanting of exhausted woodlands and afforesting some of the waste lands of our country.

Continental experience has demonstrated that, from a commercial point of view at least, State-owned forests are preferable to such as are owned either by public bodies or by private individuals. The resources and continuity of a nation will always make the State the best custodian of forest property; indeed, only the State can acquire the necessary land on the most favourable terms, and in sufficient quantity for the purposes of extensive afforestation. Private individuals—or, indeed, public bodies—labour under many disadvantages in this respect, not the least being the long period required—in most cases from fifty to sixty years—before the money expended in planting can be even partially recovered.

Contrary to the conditions obtaining in the raising of agricultural crops, long periods have to elapse before the forestry harvest can be reaped. It will be obvious, therefore, that extensive tree planting is quite beyond the power of the private individual unassisted. It is a State business, in which systematic methods of cultivation, and large wooded areas are first necessities; and, unfortunately, in this country commercial forestry is but little understood—in fact, it may be described as an unknown industry.

Extensive plantations of from a thousand to several thousand acres each, in compact blocks, are required, for it is only in dealing with such areas that the planting, tending, thinning, and conversion of the timber can be most economically and profitably carried out. From the purely economic point of view, the many small plantations dotted over the face of our country are worse than useless, though exceptions might be noted, especially in Scotland, where a few woods are planted and managed on a commercial basis.

With compact blocks of forest 2,000 to 4,000 acres in extent, and with timber crops of mainly the same species in each, a continuity of supplies could be guaranteed, which under existing circumstances is quite out of the question. In many outlying districts all over the country that are far removed from road and rail it is difficult—in some cases impossible—to dispose of the usually small amount of timber that is periodically cut down; but were large quantities of the same kind and a continuity of supply ensured, merchants would be tempted to make special transit and other arrangements, as well as to offer a remunerative price for the timber, while railway companies would no doubt provide cheaper facilities for its transport.

More than once I have been asked by owners of woodlands to recommend buyers of good Larch, Ash, and other timber, the demand for which far exceeds the supply; but after negotiating have invariably been told by the merchants that the quantity offered was too small to allow of special facilities for delivery being provided, the timber being far removed from road and rail, but that if a specified number of trees could be guaranteed annually for a number of years they were quite prepared to buy. Such cases occurred in the South and West of Ireland, and in remote parts of Wales and Scotland. These, then, are cases in which a continuity of supply—such as would be quite possible if an extensive scheme of afforesting was carried out—would ensure speedy sales at fair rates in places where at present it is difficult, if not impossible, to dispose of the small quantities of timber, even at ruinously low prices.

The question, then, before the nation is: How, and by whom, is afforestation to be carried out on a scale commensurate with our necessities as by far the largest timber-importing country in the world?—larger, indeed, than all the countries of Europe put together. In answer, and without the slightest hesitation, I would say that the State should acquire and plant suitable lands at the rate of 40,000 acres annually for a period of twenty-five years, or 1,000,000 in all.

When we consider that the total area of woodlands in this country is only a little in excess of 3,071,000 acres, that fully 17,000,000 acres of waste lands exist, and that we annually import over 10,000,000 tons of timber at a cost of about £25,000,000, the necessity for an increased area of woodlands, so that a portion at least of this vast sum may be kept at home, will be apparent to all, the more so as a dearth of timber is imminent and outside supplies are being rigidly conserved, while our home demands are ever on the increase.

In order to carry out my proposed scheme of planting a million acres during the next five years, at the rate of 200,000 acres annually, profitable and healthy employment would at once be found for several thousand workmen. The question of transporting, housing and otherwise dealing with these workmen has been brought forward as the most serious drawback to the scheme, but, personally, having had to deal with such cases I can see no insuperable difficulty in the undertaking. Surely, if our railway and water companies, as also private landowners, can deal with hundreds of men in remote mountain districts that are far removed from road and rail, the Government could make the necessary arrangements for the various bodies of workmen that would be employed for afforesting purposes. Nor must tree planting be considered as a new departure for unemployed labour, as in the formation of a large plantation on a dreary exposed hillside in Wales, the whole of the work, including clearing the ground of rough surface growth, draining, pitting and planting, was most successfully carried out by detachments of the unemployed.

The general physique of Army and Navy men and the discipline and hard work to which they have been subjected during the war will render them peculiarly suitable for carrying out the various operations connected with the formation of plantations. Convalescent soldiers and sailors could also find healthy employment in the various lighter tasks which go hand in hand with afforestation, such as clearing the ground of rough growing vegetation and lifting and distributing the young trees.

Several suggestions have been made for providing employment for our returned soldiers and sailors, but much of this proposed work is, so to speak, invented for the purpose, and would probably never be seriously considered except for the exigencies of the case. Now I am quite of opinion that afforesting waste lands offers a sensible system of employment, for it is now generally admitted that a largely increased area of our woodlands is an imperative and pressing necessity, and what is of equal importance, the undertaking, if wisely entered upon, would not only increase the value of such lands fourfold but form the nucleus of an ever-increasing revenue of the State.

But this is not all, for apart altogether from the question of immediate labour, what an industry would be opened up in years to come by the planting of waste grounds! In the first instance there would arise the necessity for clearing, fencing, draining, and planting the ground, subsequently the tending of the plantations in various ways would give employment. Thinning would commence about the tenth year, after which the erection of sawmills and the conversion of the timber would open a vast and ever-increasing industry, providing highly remunerative work to thousands of the unemployed.

There are other ways in connection with forestry in which the unemployed could be usefully and profitably set to work, such as in preparing osier beds, planting dogwood for gunpowder charcoal, and in the formation and stocking of tree nurseries, the produce of which could with advantage be used in the formation of plantations. Osiers for basket-making, charcoal for gunpowder and heating purposes, and seedling plants for afforestation will all be greatly in demand after the war when foreign supplies will not be forthcoming.

Regarding the most desirable centres at which to commence planting operations, I would suggest those counties where the greatest areas of waste lands exist, and where, in addition, advantages are offered in the matter of cheap land purchase, as well as in a demand for and easy removal of the produce. Thus we have:—

England Yorkshire and Northumberland with 1,010,924 acres. Scotland Inverness and Argyleshire with 3,087,312 acres. Wales Breconshire and Merionethshire with 461,320 acres. Ireland Donegal and Kerry with 657,337 acres (exclusive of 172,436 acres of bogland).

From these figures it will be seen that in case of necessity we could get all the ground required for this afforesting scheme in two of the counties of England and Scotland, or in three of Wales and Ireland.

The cost of procuring suitable land for afforesting purposes need not be considered as any obstacle to the scheme. From extensive inquiries made the price on an average would not be greater than £2 per acre. Through the kindness of the agent on the Gwydyr Estate, in Carnarvonshire, I have been allowed to look over the sale contracts on several of the properties, and from these I find that 7,412 acres were disposed of at an average price of £2 2_s._ 3_d._ per acre. The ground was excellent for the production of timber, as the Larch on adjoining lands clearly evidenced. Again, the Crown recently purchased 12,500 acres in Scotland at the modest rental of £2 per acre. Many other instances could be quoted, but the above suffice to show that land in every way suitable for the production of high-grade timber can be bought at probably less than £2 per acre.

The cost of forming plantations has been very carefully considered, and for all practical purposes may be put down at £5 per acre, taking the British Isles as a whole.

Regarding financial returns from tree planting, there is overwhelming proof that land worth only from 1_s._ to 3_s._ 6_d._ per acre has been made to realise as much as 20_s._ per acre for fifty or sixty years, with a final crop worth from £50 to £75 per acre.

Taking all the above points into consideration—the price of land, the cost of planting and the financial returns—it will amply repay the State to plant up uncultivated and waste lands. There should be no loss of time in setting about this work if we are to provide suitable employment for our returned soldiers and sailors and avoid the threatened timber famine which, according to well-informed quarters, is fast approaching.