WAR'S DESTRUCTION OF BRITISH FORESTS 



1037 



question. The United Kingdom derives more than half 

 its imported timber from virgin forests in foreign coun- 

 tries, which are steadily being depleted. Canada contains 

 the only large reserves within the Empire. Unless ar- 

 rangements can be made with the Dominion Government 

 for the effectual conservation of these reserves, it is 

 inevitable that provision should be made within the 

 British Isles on a far larger scale than is here proposed 

 for the purposes of defence. We consider that this 



British Isles, but also to set in motion the machinery for 

 carrying it into effect. 



"Thirdly, to constitute a body who can view the for- 

 estry situation in Great Britain as a whole, and decide 

 on purely forestal grounds the conflicting claims of the 

 various countries unbiased by local or political pressure. 



"Fourthly, to constitute a body who, in time of war, 

 could act with the Military Authorities to exploit both 

 State and private forests for the benefit of the country. 



British Official Photograph 



BRITISH FORESTRY SOLDIERS CUTTING WOOD IN FRANCE 



The British Army needed quantities of lumber for barracks, trenches, dugouts and other military uses and several companies of lumbermen were kept 



busy supplying these needs by cuttings in forests leased from the French. 



question should be taken up at once with the Dominion 

 Government." 



NEED OF A SINGLE AUTHORITY 



General Lord Lovat, in command of the British For- 

 estry Regiments and a member of the Forestry Recon- 

 struction Committee, in speaking of the future develop- 

 ment of forestry in the British Isles emphasizes the 

 importance of a single forestry authority having com- 

 plete charge of the work which it is planned to do. 



Lord Lovat very frankly says the creation of a single 

 forest authority is required : 



"Firstly, and principally, to make a definite break with 

 the past, to get out of the welter of conflicting authori- 

 ties and to escape from the arena of party politics, Royal 

 Commissions and amateur inquires. 



"Secondly, to make it possible for an accredited author- 

 ity not only to draw up a definite forestry policy for the 



He adds, "the first three points have been dealt with 

 in the report of the Committee. It is only necessary to 

 say about the fourth point that in France at the begin- 

 ning of the war a central Forestry Authority existed, 

 the resources of each forest were known ; the transport 

 facilities, railway sidings and light railways had all been 

 studied in times of peace, with the result that the maxi- 

 mum of production was possible with the minimum of 

 effort. 



"Forest utilization in England at the beginning of the 

 war presented a very different picture. It was twelve 

 months before the Government improvised machinery 

 to deal with the subject. By this time many of the skilled 

 men had already enlisted. Mills were to be found with- 

 out men, men were to be found without mills. Forest 

 workers were badged and de-badged at uncertain inter- 

 vals. Departments competed for labor, while German 



