INITIATING A STATE FOREST POLICY 



IN KENTUCKY 



By J. E. Barton, State Forester 



TO a man who undertakes the task what a wide-spread ignorance with 



of organizing a forest policy in regard to forestry there is, even among 



any State, I feel certain a great educated and well-informed people. It 



many situations and circum- is against this stone wall of ignorance 



stances which arise will come as a shock, that a State Forester is continually 



especially if, heretofore, his earnest en- butting his head and for that reason 



deavors have been confined to private one of the chief features of any policy 



work, teaching or work in the federal he may initiate must be educational 



Forest Service. There is a poem en- exposition of what he is trying to 



titled, "In Kentucky," which contains accomplish. He must talk and write 



these lines "Politics are the damdest Forestry continually and must take 



in Kentucky," and the force of this advantage of every opportunity to 



statement with relation to the initiation arouse an interest in forestry and con- 



of a forest policy in the State I have servation problems. In this connection, 



felt most keenly. By no means do I I have undertaken lectures at Farmers 



desire to give the impression that Institutes and meetings of diverse 



politics in Kentucky are worse or more character; wherever, in fact, the oppor- 



in evidence than in any other State; tunity presented itself. I have taken 



but since I have been myself engaged the matter up through Women's Clubs, 



in State work my observation here and the Boy Scouts, and through the Edu- 



elsewhere has been that the political cational Department of the State. A 



exigencies of the State, the party, and plan is now under way to organize 



the individual are the "form factor" of Boys' and Girls' Forestry Clubs through- 



the situation as far as a State forest out the State on the same general lines 



policy is concerned. An adequate prep- as Boys' Com Clubs and Girls' Canning 



aration for the office of State Forester Clubs are organized by the United 



would involve, among other important States Department of Agriculture. It 



features, a course in coiuity politics and seems to me that the hope of forestry in 



training for the diplomatic service, the State and in the United States lies in 



Then, if the receptive individual is an intelligent understanding of the 



long on suavity, patience and tact, he problem by the rising generations and 



win probably hold his job through one that through the children a sense of the 



administration and accomplish some importance of the problem will be 



effective work. The people of the brought into a large number, if not the 



South love poHtics and the Southerner majority, of the homes within the com- 



is a born politician, which facts should monwealth and the nation, 



be written in large letters in the mind Of course, a wide dissemination of 



of such persons as seek to initiate forest literature on forestry is desirable and 



poHcies in the Southern States. this should be as timely and helpfiil 



It is perfectly astonishing, when one in a practical way as it can be made if 



considers the length of time during it is to count for anything in enhancing 



which there has been a concrete forest the value of a forest policy for the State. 



poHcy for the United States, the amoimt For instance, it has been my observation 



of Uterature that has been published in that one of the important problems for 



this country concerning forestry and Kentucky (certainly in the Blue Grass 



conservation generally, the discussions. Section and Western Kentucky) is the 



lectures and talks upon this subject raising of fence post material. An 



that have been staged everywhere, exhaustive study of the species which 



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