CONSERVATION PRACTICES PREVAIL

For people who think commercial development is draining Missouri of its resources and natural beauty, a recent report by the state forester should be enlightening. A tree census that took two years to complete indicates that Missouri forests cover about 14 million acres, an increase of more than one million since 1972.

All regions of the state had increases in forest land since 1972 but the most significant gains were made in the Ozark border regions, where timbering controversies seem to grow like oaks. The state's forests are growing much faster than they are being harvested, said Forester Gerald Ross, with only about 27 percent of the annual growth being cut.

Wood industries provide more than 22,000 jobs in Missouri and contribute $2 billion a year to the state's economy.

Missouri is blessed with this valuable, renewable natural resource. The conservation practices of the past two decades must have had a positive impact. We don't believe that the preservation policies espoused by some would do better.