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IJ!JL':::l,:'~ IV. Assistanee To landowners And Processors Providing assistance to landowners and proce~so~s is important because three-fourths. of the ,!ation s 489 million acres of commercial forest land ~s held privately. Much of the timber produced on this land is harvested and manufactured into lum~er or other products by a multitude of small,. mdependent operators. . Many of these landowners and process!lrs operate in an economic environment that often IS unfavor~ able. tl Markets for primary forest produ~ts frequen. y are poorly defined and poorly orgamze.d.. Certa'!' economic institutions, such as ~ose provuling cr~dit and insurance often are rudunen~ or lacking, while other influences, such as ~ation, may pres~nt economic obstacles to the practice of forestry whic!' are more serious than in many other forms of busl" ness: At the same time, intensiv~ tim~er manage- ment may produce coroIlary I;>enefit~ m watershed protection,. wildlife, .and recreatIon w~lch are of ~ub- stantial value to the public, but which often YIeld no cash returns to the owner. A. Advke and Guidance Since World War II, landowner interest in ~o~- ing wood has been stimulated markedly by a Slgnifi- cant rise in the value of forest prodnc~. So,,!e own- ers, particularly the larger hol~ers of mdustn:u f~r- ests manage their- land intensively under SCIentific pro~edures. Most of the remaining priv~te. owners lack sufficient knowledge of forestry prmClples to manage their properties efficiently. . The latter <;I..s iilcludes some 4'h milIion people whose holdings aggregate 296 million acres, more than one-half of the nation's total commercial forest area. This deficit in scientific know-how is' being met partially by a variety of. seryices and m~ag~ment aids offered by public agenc'es, .wood usm~ "!dus- tries consulting foresters and._ prIvate organIZations. Still' the total need for assistance gre,,;tly exceeds the capacity of present programs to provld~. We. recommend: 1. The coordination, ',improvement and expansion, where warranted, of assistance to all classe~ of land- owners and to operators of wood converSIOn plants by all agencies, public and private. .. . 2. That public service pr!,grams and mdlVldual assistance on the ground be d,rected by the state de- partments of forestry in accordance Wlt~ f~eral and state policies which clearly define the liOlltS of free public aide 3. That forest industries which buy J'rima~ for- est products expand their e~orts to tram th~lr sup- pliers in proper forest p~actlce and to estabhsh 'pur- chase procedures that w,Il encourage good manage~ ment practices by forest oWDer~. 20 '.'.y .. ., -- 4. That additional emphasis be given by those working with farmers to the fact that the farm wood- land'is often an important resource to the farm and should be so recognized in farm planning. 5. That in addition to technical assistance for growing timber, forest landowners be aided in achiev- ing other benefits from their properties, specifically recreation, wildlife, wafer and forage. This assist- ance should include .effective programs of advice and guldance by public"agencies and private sources. 6. Evaluation of the accomplishments of various assistance programs. . 1. Additional studies of landowner attitudes and motivation in order to 'determine what economic or other stimuli are most, likely to lead to landowner response. . B. Cost-sharing Some landowners have received direct reimburse- ment on a cost-sharing basis from the federal govern- ment under the Agricultural Stabilization and Con- servation Program for practices such as tree plant- ing, timber stand improvement, water conservation and development of recreational facilities. Other incentives, such as provision of seedlings at cost or free of charge and rental of tree planting or other equipment at nominal rates, have been avail- able from private and public sources to all classes of landowners. '. Most of tbe forestry programs have been effective in securing better conservation practices by private landowners. There are questions, however, concern- ing the intended goal of the Agricultural -Stabiliza- tion and Conservation Program and the methods of applying it, We recommend: 1. Thorough review of the forestry aspecls of the ASC Program by competent authorities. 2. That continuing efforts be made to use these incentives wherever landowner interest and eco- nomic con~liiions make them applicable. These should be available, within specified limits, to all classes of private landowners. 3. That public cost-sharing programs _ concerned with land use adjustments give greater emphasis to reforestation, stand improvement, recreation, water: and other resource development. C. Credit Lack of credit secured by forest lands and timber at times makes it difficult for landowners, large and small, to practice beller forestry. Cash outlays on many holdings are needed to restore deteriorated stands. R"ising funds, whether for forestry or non- forestry purposes, by liquidating immature but mer- chantable timber usually is far less' profitable over the long run than using the' same timber as collateral .for loans, because young timber usually increases in value at - rates- f-ar in excess of what credit costs. 21 ~~fl ~. z~ 'P:_ :'~"'_~o, - '.'_" -,.3 ',-, fl'-'-:- ':..,. '-" .~_.--~.~ t~~~~~ti~~~ ltf..,.~~p.o:'"~~':';:;'f.- .~~. ~ 'I ,"..:..' ,," ~~'~.t:*