1490 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



WHAT NEWSPAPERS SAY AS TO A NATIONAL 



VV/ITH October 27, the anniversary of 

 the birth of Theodore Roosevelt, 

 new impetus was given a national forest 

 policy for the editors of the country have 

 been quick to respond to the suggestion 

 of the American Forestry Association that 

 the greatest memorial that the nation can 

 erect to the late president would be a 

 national forest policy. The Atlanta 

 Journal, in a leading editorial, says "the 

 importance of a national forest policy was 

 illuminated in an address by Charles 

 Lathrop Pack, president of the American 

 Forestry Association. His speech has at- 

 tracted wide attention and it is to 

 be hoped this sound advice will re- 

 ceive from Congress the attention 

 it deserves. We believe the in- 

 creasing interest in this question 

 will make it the easier to impress 

 upon Congress the importance of 

 the enactment of desirable legisla- 

 tion." The Philadclplua Inquirer 

 is among the first to take up the 

 suggestion of honoring Col. 

 Roosevelt with legislation look- 

 ing to perpetuate our forests. 

 To quote iht Inquirer: 



"The birthday anniversary of 

 Theodore Roosevelt will be the 

 occasion of many ceremonies in 

 memory of this virile and robust 

 American, but a suggestion has 

 been made by Charles Lathrop 

 Pack, president of the American 

 Forestry Association, which is 

 peculiarly appropriate. He says 

 that if the people of the United 

 States want to erect a real monu- 

 ment, a lasting memorial for all 

 time, in honor of Theodore Roose- 

 velt, they can do it on his birth- 

 day by starting to work for a 

 national forest policy. He calls 

 upon all who are in a position 

 to do so to plant a tree in honor of this 

 great American. 



"It goes without saying that the other 

 memorials which have been planned will 

 be carried to completion. The success of 

 the movement for the purpose is already 

 assured, but it would be peculiarly appro- 

 priate if his name could be made the rally- 

 ing cry for the preservation and the per- 

 petuation of the forests." 



The Times, of Trenton, N. J., is another 

 paper to take up quickly the message 

 which it does in these words : "It is a 

 timely and important plea which Mr. 

 Pack, of the American Forestry Associa- 

 tion, makes to the people of this country 

 in connection with the movement to honor 

 the memory of Theodore Roosevelt. Mr. 

 Roosevelt was a lover of all that pertained 



to the great out-doors and trees surely 

 have a large part in the kingdom of nature. 

 This being true there can be no more 

 suitable tribute paid to the former Presi- 

 dent's memory than the planting of trees 

 and the preservation of forests. Forests 

 are among the greatest national resources. • 

 Forests are like banks, as Mr. Pack tells 

 the foresters, lumbermen and wood users 

 generally, you must deposit in them if 

 you want to take anything out. Then, in 

 addition to the material benefits to be de- 

 rived from the restoration and conserva- 

 tion of forests, the planting of memorial 



THE BEAUTIFUL PICNIC PLACE 





AS TU£r UfT IT. 



(Reprinted by special permission of the Chicago Tribune.) 



trees is one of the greatest forces for 

 .•\niericanization and keeping aflame the 

 community spirit, born of the war, accord- 

 ing to the Association's officers at Wash- 

 ington, who are registering all memorial 

 trees in a national honor roll." 



Importance of a national forest policy 

 is viewed by the editor of the Christian 

 Science Monitor this way : "What is to be 

 done? Obviously the nation must deter- 

 mine upon a comprehensive and efficacious 

 forest policy, and it must do it without 

 delay. Every state should be behind that 

 policy, and national and state govern- 

 ments should go further than they have 

 ever gone to bring the matter to the 

 active attention of business and industrial 

 communities everywhere." In the opinion 

 of the editor of the Houston Post "pub- 



lic sentiment must be aroused in favor of 

 a more adequate and definite policy by 

 the government in regard to forests." 

 The Geneva, N. Y. Times impresses the 

 point that "the American Forestry Asso- 

 ciation heartily supports the demand of 

 the United States Forest Service for a 

 national forest policy," and then points 

 out the need for arousing public senti- 

 ment to that end. "Peculiarly fitting 

 would be such a testimonial" says the 

 Boise Statesman in an editorial on a 

 memorial for Col. Roosevelt and it adds 

 "in addition is the inculcation of the idea 

 which should be kept alive in 

 .America, the need of reforesta- 

 tion." The News Press, of St. 

 Joseph, Mo., calls attention to 

 the fact that "we have prided 

 ourselves on being a business- 

 like nation. Such e.xtravagance 

 as we have shown and continually 

 show with our resources makes 

 us seem to lack the first rudi- 

 ments of far-visioned business 

 sense." Comparison between 

 this country and the countries of 

 Europe is taken up by The 

 Republican, of Findlay, Ohio, 

 which says "the same sort of a 

 situation as faces this country 

 faced the nations of Europe. 

 They recognized it in time and 

 now, governed by stringent 

 forestry laws, have solved the 

 problem." In an editorial re- 

 viewing the situation in Missouri 

 The Globe-Democrat, of St. 

 Louis, says "we face a serious 

 forest problem resulting from the 

 waste of ax and fire. We need 

 in this country a greater realiza- 

 tion of the value of our forests, 

 of the need of their preservation." 

 The Commercial-Appeal, of Mem- 

 phis enlists in the cause of a forest policy 

 and points out "that it is difficult to get 

 away from the old idea that forests are 

 objects to be exploited. We should stop 

 the reckless clearing off of new grounds 

 and reclaim the waste lands that already 

 afflict the state." In the view of the Bos- 

 ton American "we can only preserve our 

 forests by taking public possession of them 

 and applying the principles of forestation 

 that the Germans have worked out." The 

 Sun, of Springfield, Ohio, says "the only 

 possible remedy is preservation of great 

 American forests. The American Forestry 

 Association, realizing the acuteness of the 

 situation, asks co-operation from lumber- 

 men so as to bring forcibly to the atten- 

 tion of state legislatures and the national 

 congress the dire necessity for legislation 



