Vol. 16—1962 - NorthEastern Weed Science Society

36
I wouldlike to.adpinsult. to ~ry by dwelling.for a ~pme,nt on the uncertainties
that plague the forest' manager' int[1e~9i.l;beast. I woUld~U1ce'tP paint for you a v~~
pictute of Jo Sylv~ JuattecentIy. grad~ W1thabacb~oi:~ f\)restry degree froma
leading school ofbi~~OJlUte. Jobas ~.luclcy enough tq)lU?-da Job as manager 9f,a
10,OOO-acretr,.ac~ ono~tlapd inS,~utheastern New Hainplh1;re. apd he bril1fJ to~e
Job all theentliliSiasm 8ndlcnowledsetlui.tbis training and~:r years can muster. '
His einployer's WtJ:'UCtiODSare both ~rse and to th~ point ,~-, "operate in such a mal'.·
ner that I get a netreturn from my in~~ent each YetU'.aij.devery year."
,~ , : "f' _ ' ',c.'; i _ );' !
Jo bas beeq,thorougbly' school~ 011bow to cruise timber and how to measure, grpwth
rates, sIllshe proceedswith a1acrity~ow.ake a detailed in~tpr)r of the forests wUku:
bis Jurisdiction. This'done, he figUres' Outhow much ¥bMin saleable wood pro~,
ducts, at what rate bis growing stock is increasing, and hOwmuch he can afford to cut
each year for the,n,ext 50 years. Let's assume that he C;~ cut the equivalent9flOOO
cords. of wOodper year. His next Job is finding somewhere .tosell the wood. fie "
scouts the area with1na lOO-mile radius of bis forest and dls~overs' that he can sell
some white pine to .a pail and tub faptory, some spruce PUlPitQ a construction co~,
'some 89O'dgradehardwood logs to a flirnlture manufactu;rer. and about 500 cords Qt,'
spruce to~ pulp mUhome 75mUesdistant. He goes ~'tq,bis desk and figures Out
what he bas to cUt, where and at whats.eason of the year,WbatJ:he prices must be to.r
bim to show a profltQtib1s operatfou 8ndwhat si~e crew ~e Willhave to bire to .~tbe
work done most efficiently. So far,' it aUappears str~rward and quite wi~ .
the compass' of bis' tecbD1cal ability'. '.'Sowithout flirtheJ: ~,'J9 IJegins to operate Jds,
woods. ' . .
Let's assume now'~ '10 yeaks~"ee1a.psed and th~:~e are paying Jo • visit to
see howhe is gettp1g on v- ~er all, .lite mostfores~ei's,ba is a likeable chap., .
Imagine our di$may and horrOr whenwefind that Jo is no longer there. He was f~
two years ago. It dOesnot take long to find out why. On,tnCJIiry, it transpires ~
the pail and tub factory went out of business in the interim, tbe,construction firm
started using altun1'munpiling, thefuriUtui'e manufacturef~d buy cheaper hardwood
imported from Liberia, and the pul~.JllU1had sWungover'tO,a's,emi-chemical process
which 81lowedit to use low-grade sprGiuthardwoods whichlt could buy for next to
nothing in great quantity'from farmwqocJlots in its immediate vicinity •. Poor Jol
In ~erence to ~ current public, demand for a hapPf~. however, let us
continue in time to the year 1980 wh~ .~ luck would have it, ,.e happen to pass Jo's
old forest IJ881n in the course of being tdlcenfor a Sunday ~ve,by our married ~ter
andfamUy. We are surprised by~l~~ sign which says. "TranquU Acres" and'~
on to announce thatcamp1l:1gfacilitlesare' available.tothePubUc for a sum of $5.00 per
family per night,that sWimming andtenDis are' available "",side attractions, and.
yourfricmdly hoSt is Jo Syl"a~ Notb1J:lgw11l do but that we stop and see our friend.'
, Weare greeted at the'ooor by a.corpulent hunkof cordiality Whois all set to sign'Qll.up
for the weeItend andwe have some tJ;oUl:I1c identl,fyingourse1'Vesbecause of the bifOcals
and receding hairlines' that we have acquired in the intervening years since our last
encounter. We soon reestablish our relationship, however, and we find that not only