FOREST CONSERVATION AND AGRICULTURE 



By Theodore; S. Woolsey, Jr. 



[That there can be no sustained and permanently successful agriculture without for- 

 estry; that countries not possessing forests are decadent; tnat forests exercise a salutary 

 efifect on the health of the people; as well as protect the water supply, affect the climate, and 

 prevent damage to crops, are some of the contentions in the following excellent article by 

 Theodore S. VVoolsey, Jr. This article was prepared for presentation before the United 

 States Agricultural Commission in London, England. Mr. Woolsey emphasized the fact 

 that he was expressing his personal views and was not speaking officially for the Forest 

 Service. — Editor. ] 



WOULD it be going too far 

 to say there can be no sus- 

 tained and permanently suc- 

 cessful agriculture without 

 forestry? I think not. You will find 

 that those countries which have de- 

 stroyed their forests and have not 

 adopted a wise policy of forest manage- 

 ment, are those countries which today 

 are decadent, and whose agricultural 

 resources have suffered. 



Perhaps M. Clementel, the Minister 

 of Agriculture of France, was a little 

 too pessimistic when, at the recent for- 

 est congress, he recalled Colbert's 

 prophecy that, "Not only France, but 

 the entire civilized world, will perish 

 through lack of wood," but it is certain, 

 as I have already emphasized, that 

 every progressive country must prac- 

 tice forestry, and that "deboisement" 

 and decadence go hand in hand. This 

 is not a new idea, since according to 

 Dr. Regnault such men as Leonardo da 

 Vinci, Bernard Palissy, Columbus, 

 Seneca, and Pliny drew attention to the 

 disastrous effects which would follow 

 deforestation. Look at Greece, at 

 Assyria, at Palestine, and Arabia, to- 

 dav ; possiblv some members of this 

 commission have seen the results of 

 deforestation in the Austrian Karst, in 

 Snain and in certain portions of the 

 French Alps. Moreover it is pretty 

 generallv recognized that the infltiences 

 of a forest go further than merelv cov- 

 ering the soil, absorbing rainfall, and 

 protecting mountains from erosion. 



How closely is the health of a nation 

 linked with so-called national parks, 

 wh'ch furnish breathing-spaces and va- 

 cation grounds for men suffocated by 



the work of modern competition? A 

 famous Frenchman has stated that "this 

 need of the beautiful is deep-rooted in 

 our very nature," yet forests not only 

 give us pleasure, but in addition ex- 

 ercise a salutary effect in our health. 

 Examine the Landes in France, where 

 formerly the population was fever 

 stricken, and where to-day through the 

 reforestation of maritime pine coupled 

 with drainage, an unhealthy district has 

 been made healthy, and besides yields 

 a handsome revenue. I need not go 

 into details in calling your attention to 

 the beneficial influence of forests on 

 springs, in preventing hail and damage 

 to crops from wind and storms, in fa- 

 voring precipitation, in controlling ava- 

 lanches, and in tempering the general 

 climate of a region. The French be- 

 lieve that forests have an unquestion- 

 able influence on local climate, although 

 some scientists look for further proof 

 before accepting this theory without re- 

 serve. So much for general forest in- 

 fluences. 



PROGRESS IN THE UNITED STATES. 



The opinion that the United States 

 are backward in forestry is only too 

 widespread. As a matter of fact, if I 

 may be permitted to say so, we have a 

 most efficient Forest Service, organize'' 

 bv Mr. Gifford Pinchot. and '.lov; di- 

 rected by Mr. Henry S. Graves. A 

 number of States have appointed State-"- 

 Foresters, and I see no reason whv it 

 cannot be safely predicted, th?.1 nffor 

 the next ten years we shall be at least 

 abreast, and possibly ahead, of otlier 

 great powers in many lines '^f forest 

 work. But in order to accomplish what 



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