APPALACHIAN NATIONAL FOREST 



ASSOCIATION 



TWO important meetings have been 

 held by the Association during 

 September in the inauguration of 

 its plan to obtain an active member- 

 ship ; one in Lynchburg, Va., on Sep- 

 tember 17, and in Richmond, Va., on 

 the 22d inst., in both places before ap- 

 preciative and earnest audiences. These 

 meetings are deemed by us of great im- 

 portance, because they are considered 

 by us as demonstrating, not alone the 

 interest of the people in the forest 

 cause, but as proving the practicability 

 of our plan for obtaining a membership 

 made up of organized clubs, etc., al- 

 ready equipped for work as it were, and, 

 therefore, capable of giving influential 

 and aggresive aid to our campaign. 

 They show that our plan for organiz- 

 ing a branch of our Association in each 

 southern city is practical ; they show 

 that these branches can be better organ- 

 ized into a State Forest League ; they 

 show that the people are keenly alive to 

 the vital questions which are involved, 

 and most clearly of all show that the 

 earnest and thoughtful man and wom- 

 an, want to be put to work on some 

 practical lines that will accomplish re- 

 sults. 



The Lynchburg meeting was held 

 under the joint auspices of the Lynch- 

 burg Board of Trade, Woman's Club. 

 Retail Merchant's Association, and Civ- 

 ic League. It had been thoroughly ad- 

 vertised by the energetic and capable 

 Secretary of the Board of Trade, Mr. 

 J. A. Faulkner, and a representative 

 audience assembled at the Y. M. C. A. 

 Auditorium to greet Mr. Fred G. Plum- 

 mer, of the Forest Service, and Mr. 

 John H. Finney, Secretary of our As- 

 sociation. Mr. Long, a prominent 

 Lynchburg attorney, presided most ca- 

 pably. 



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Mr. Plummer dealt with the work of 

 the Forest Service and its administra- 

 tive features, illustrated by beautiful 

 lantern slides, it was a running comment 

 on conditions and practices, and was 

 most entertainingly presented and en- 

 thusiastically received. Mr. Finney 

 dealt with the need for forest extension 

 by the government, along the lines of a 

 definite forest policy, urging of course, 

 the acquisition of the Appalachian and 

 White Mountain area, as of supreme 

 importance, and then taking up the 

 state work that must be done in coop- 

 eration with the government and with 

 individual owners, told graphically the 

 plans of the Association for furthering 

 the work. 



His address also covered the history 

 of the fight for this Appalachian for- 

 est, and vigorously scored the politicians 

 who have heretofore prevented action 

 by Congress. At the conclusion of the 

 speaking, the audience unanimously 

 passed a resolution endorsing the work 

 of the Association, pleading its coop- 

 eration, and the four organizations 

 voted to join the Association in a body. 



A particularly gratifying result was 

 the gift by Mrs. Cora L. Mosby, of 

 Lynchburg, of fifty acres of land as the 

 beginning of the "Virginia State For- 

 est." 



From this gift, we feel, must come 

 large results, for we are convinced that 

 there must be other patriotic women 

 and men in Virginia whose generosity 

 and patriotism must get stimulus and 

 inspiration from this gift to her state 

 by a noble woman. 



The Richmond meeting, held under 

 the Chamber of Commerce in their as- 

 sembly hall, was equally interesting and 

 instructive. 



