SCENE IN THE NEW CLEVELAND NATIONAL FOREST 

 Knocking Seed out of Pine Cones, in the Strawberry Valley 



mission to investigate and report upon 

 the inauguration of a rational forest 

 policy for the forested lands of the 

 United States. Mr. Gififord Pinchot, 

 now Forester for the Government, was 

 a member of that Commission, appoint- 

 ed for his well-known familiarity with 

 forest problems, gained by study in this 

 country and abroad. After the Com- 

 mission had formulated a policy, Gov- 

 ernment experts from the German Em- 

 pire and British India were consulted, 

 who made suggestions as to details of 

 organization, and. after several months 

 spent in the Forests, set the seal of 

 their approval upon the general scheme. 

 But there was a great deal for the 

 public to learn about the true meaning 

 of forestry. At first the Forests were 

 called "reserves," and indeed for some 

 years under a policy of restricted use, 

 and in the absence of technical forest- 

 ers in charge, resulted largely in lock- 

 434 



ing up the natural resources. Mr. 

 Pinchot, who took charge of the for- 

 estry work of the Government in 1898. 

 worked steadily for the application of 

 the principle of preserving the forests 

 by wise use, and at length his efforts 

 were crowned by success, when the "re- 

 serves,"' now better known as National 

 Forests, were transferred to the De- 

 partment of Agriculture in 1905. 



Mr. Pinchot then found his hands 

 free for the first time to open the For- 

 ests to the use of the public. As a re- 

 sult, the cost of administering the Na- 

 tional Forests is now balanced by the 

 sale of products, while at the same time, 

 the condition of the Forests, as to tim- 

 ber, range, and stream flow, is steadily 

 improving. The local needs of resi- 

 dents are met and the Forests are made 

 to yield their harvest of wood, grass, 

 and water without depletion. Develop- 

 ment has replaced spoliation. 



