Booklet No 23 – Timber! Your Growing Investment - 50 Years of the Forestry Commission
With a prompt from Christina Uduwerage-Perera the booklet was brought to the attention of and entered into Forestry Memories.
The booklet is courtesy of the Forestry Commission archives and as it was published in 1969 it was in reality a short written record of the achievements of the Forestry Commission on its half century since its inception in 1919. The foreword is by Leslie A W Jenkins, then Chairman of the Forestry Commission, and the text by Herbert L Edlin, Forestry Commission Publications Officer.
The subject matters are many and varied but follow a general pattern of the Forestry Commission origins, the reasons for the national timber shortages and then the progress of land acquisition, the tree planting with developments in seed collection, forest nursery production and ground preparation. It makes reference to the timber production systems of the day, the modern uses of round and sawn timber all aided by access to forests created by road construction and machinery development. The roles of Forest Research, Estate Management and training add to the overall picture.
Recreation, forest landscapes and wildlife conservation are topics given some detail perhaps reacting to the increasing interest of the public in these issues. The role of private forestry is described and the acknowledgement of the key role their forests provided in the wartime emergencies. The areas of private woodland are increasing steadily and the roles of the Forestry institutions and Societies are also recognised.
No publication is complete without graphs and maps and there are quite a number showing all forest land from 1900-1970, planting by year over the same period, timber production volumes as well as maps of the forest locations. The many fine photographs are a very welcome addition.
The booklet can be seen in the PDF below.
Groups: Forestry Records, Booklets and Reports