DANGER TO NATIONAL FOREST POLICY 



805 



Virginia that have been cleared would 

 be worth more in its primitive condi- 

 tion, and every available acre of forest 

 land in the State, unless it is very val- 

 uable for agricultural purposes, should 

 be retained as a forest reserve. 



The United States forest service of- 

 ficials are doing a great work in edu- 

 cating the people to see the great good 

 to be accomplished by protecting the 

 forests. This is now regarded as one 

 of the most helpful branches of the 

 Department of Agriculture. This de- 

 partment undertakes the study and so- 



lution of forestry problems, that can- 

 not be handled by the States and indi- 

 viduals, and by sending out literature 

 is creating an influence among all 

 classes that will aid in protecting and 

 conserving these great gifts of nature. 

 Many States have spent large sums 

 of money to build up their forests that 

 have been recklessly and needlessly de- 

 stroyed. We have in West Virginia 

 several millions of acres of forest lands, 

 and if properly cared for, either by 

 State or Government's aid, it will be of 

 untold benefit to future genefations. 



DANGER TO THE NATIONAL FOREST POLICY 



By Henry S. Graves 

 Chief Forester 



^^-/HERE has been during the past 

 ^ J two or three years a steadily 

 ^^^ growing movement to turn over 

 the National Forests to the individual 

 States. During the past session of Con- 

 gress a rider to the Agricultural Ap- 

 propriation Bill was ofifered in the 

 Senate providing for the grant of the 

 National Forests to the several States, 

 together with all other public lands, 

 including "all coal, mineral, timber, 

 grazing, agricultural and other land.^, 

 and all water and power rights and 

 claims, and all rights upon lands of 

 any character whatsoever." While the 

 amendment was ruled out on a point of 

 order, it received a surprisingly large 

 amount of support. 



The proposition so far as the Na- 

 tional Forests are concerned is to turn 

 over to the individual States property 

 owned by the Nation covering a net 

 area of over 160 million acres. This 

 property has an actual measurable 

 value of at least two billion dollars, 

 while from the standpoint of its indi- 

 rect value to the public no estimate on 

 a money basis could possibly be made. 

 These are public resources which should 

 be handled in the interests of the public. 

 Moreover, the problems involved are 

 such that they should definitely remain 

 in the hands of the National rather 

 than be turned over to the State Gov- 



ernments. The property belongs to 

 the Nation as a whole, and every citi- 

 zen has an interest in it. The Govern- 

 ment has already made enormous 

 grants to the individual States, but al- 

 ways to further specific objects of 

 National importance. There should 

 not be a moment's consideration of the 

 proposal to turn the Forests over to 

 the States unless it can be clearly shown 

 that the interests both of the States 

 and of the Nation are consistent with 

 such action. In the case of the Na- 

 tional Forests, public interests both of 

 the Nation and of the States require 

 their continued retention and manage- 

 ment by the National Government. 



The scope of this article does not 

 permit a full discussion of this problem. 

 It must suffice to mention a few cogent 

 reasons for Government ownership. 



1. The property is now owned by 

 the Nation, and should be administered 

 from the standpoint of National as well 

 as of local needs. 



2. The problem of protection from 

 fire and of timber production on the 

 National Forests is one of National 

 scope and can be properly handled only 

 by the Government ; its solution is a 

 National duty. 



3. The problem on water control is 

 no less a National duty. Nearly all 

 of the National Forests lie on head- 



