AGENCIES FOR THE RESTORATION AND 

 CONSERVATION OF FORESTS 



By S, B, ELLIOTT 

 Member of Pennsylvania State Forest Reservation Commission 



EVERY Student of the history of 

 nations is aware that the destruc- 

 tion of the forests over any great 

 expanse of a populated country has led 

 to soil conditions there which now show 

 little better than absolute barrenness ; 

 and he is also well aware that the intel- 

 lectual condition of the inhabitants of 

 such regions verges on barbarism. He 

 is likewise cognizant of the converse 

 fact that the countries which have con- 

 served their forests in usefulness have 

 also maintained the fertility of the soil, 

 are enjoying abundant prosperity, and 

 stand high in intellectual, moral, and 

 social well-being. 



It certainly is not necessary to show 

 at length that this assertion is true, for 

 even the casual observer must see that 

 it is ; and whoever seriously doubts it 

 needs only to glance at the conditions 

 of several of the Old World countries 

 to be convinced of its accuracy. As- 

 suming it to be an established fact that 

 the destruction of the forests of a coun- 

 try results in barrenness of soil and a 

 low state of civilization, and that the 

 useful conservation of the forests pro- 

 motes prosperity and high intellectu- 

 ality, it would be illogical and unrea- 

 sonable to conclude that an intelligent 

 people, with history before them, will 

 permit such destruction and thereby 

 suffer the inevitable results that it en- 

 tails. And, further than this, it is safe 

 to conclude that such people will put 

 forth every effort to restore their for- 

 ests where destroyed and to conserve 



Note. — This paper was given as a lecture 

 in the valuable course of public lectures on 

 forestry under the auspices of Lehigh Uni- 

 versity. 



and maintain them in perpetual useful- 

 ness after restoration, for any other 

 course is inconceivable. Accepting this 

 as a settled endeavor of the people 

 of this country, it is left for our con- 

 sideration, on this occasion, to deter- 

 mine through what agencies the res- 

 toration and conservation of our for- 

 ests can be secured, and by whom and 

 through what instrumentalities, both 

 near and remote, such desirable ends 

 can be brought about. 



Not until recent times has the gen- 

 eral public given any thought to our 

 forest resources. It has been believed 

 that they were ample to supply all our 

 needs, and that we had only to exploit 

 them, and could do so to any extent; 

 but the irresistible "logic of events," 

 manifesting itself through the growing 

 scarcity of the best grades of lumber, 

 and the rapidly increasing price of all 

 kinds, has forced a consideration of what 

 must be done to avert a timber famine 

 in the near future — a famine which it 

 is but truth to say will surely be felt 

 for a long time, and its severity will 

 be measured by such action as shall be 

 taken to alleviate it. 



Realizing that something must be 

 done, it was but natural that the 

 agencies through which it could be 

 brought about should be considered; 

 and the trend of thought, or, to use a 

 somewhat hackneyed phrase, the "con- 

 sensus of opinion," has designated the 

 national and state governments as the 

 proper parties to begin and carry on 

 the work. Now, while the question of 

 ownership and exploitation of our nat- 

 ural resources is involved in the restora- 

 tion and conservation of our forests by 



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