EDITORIAL 



1069 



men whose knowledge of the aims and purpose of state 

 forestry rest on the secure basis of technical and pro- 

 fessional knowledge. State forestry departments must 

 be so constituted that such men are not only secured for 

 the work but are kept in the service of the state on a 

 permanent basis which permits them to give to their 

 work the cumulative knowledge and efficiency of years 

 of experience. If the office of state forester is to become 

 a political plum, technical foresters will be replaced by 

 politicians or by young and inexperienced foresters who, 

 for the sake of a job, are willing to take a chance on 

 being replaced when the administration changes. No 

 results worth considering will ever be accomplished in 

 state forestry under such a system. "By their fruits ye 

 shall know them." The states which today are rapidly 

 progressing in fire protection, in state forest reserves and 

 in other forestry lines, are in practically every instance 

 served by state foresters who have been retained for 

 several years by non-partizan commissions and who 

 expect to continue in those positions as their life work, 

 in the same manner that an efficient employe of a busi- 

 ness corporation plans on devoting his ever-growing 

 ability to the work of his employers, without fear of 

 being deposed for arbitrary reasons wholly unconnected 

 with his character or services. 



But this condition, through which alone states can 

 secure results, comes into sharp conflict with the spoils 

 system which in many places and by many methods is 

 seeking rehabilitation under cover of a reaction from too 

 much progressivism. One favorite method of demolish- 

 ing a non-partizan forestry board at present is by a 

 reorganization of forestry, usually by a combination with 

 other conservation interests, notably those of fish and 

 game protection. Such proposed legislation will be found 

 in most instances to provide for the arbitrary political 

 appointment of the state forester instead of permitting 



him to be selected by the non-partizan board. Another 

 method is the curtailment of appropriations for non- 

 partizan forest fire warden forces below the point of 

 efficiency. In a state which has failed, through improper 

 organization, to secure efficient forestry administration, 

 the appropriations devoted to forestry are dissipated in 

 salaries and expenses which produce no lasting results 

 and the final outcome must be the failure and abandon- 

 m.ent of the propaganda itself. 



To secure these vital conditions of success, forestry 

 sentiment must be organized and active. The logical 

 method of expression is through a state forestry associa- 

 tion. A few states have such organizations, notably 

 Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Minnesota, Michigan and, 

 of late. New York. To be successful and to accomplish 

 its purpose, a state forestry association must have an 

 active and well-informed secretary, who can devote a 

 large part of his time to the work of the association. 

 Without such a secretary no association can grow beyond 

 a merely nominal strength. As soon as the association 

 can afford it, the secretary should receive a salary. He 

 should be a capable organizer and business man, as well 

 versed in forestry as possible. Such a secretary will 

 cause the association to grow rapidly. 



An association which has developed into a strong, pro- 

 gressive and wide-awake organization, can not only 

 secure needed legislation, but can by the weight of its 

 influence prevent the passage of spoils legislation and can 

 maintain the integrity of the state forest service against 

 the efforts of politicians to dominate and control the per- 

 sonnel and the appropriations. Without such an associa- 

 tion public opinion, unorganized and often led astray by 

 false information, will be practically helpless. State 

 forestry rests upon the expressed will of the people, and 

 the state forestry association is the means of expressing 

 this will effectually. 



TAXATION AND CONSERVATION 



IF CONSERVATION of the forests which they own 

 is practical, then lumbermen will practice conserva- 

 tion. Just how such conservation may be made prac- 

 tical is a decidedly interesting problem and the opinion 

 of lumbermen who have given thought to it is valuable. 

 One such lumberman is Charles L. Latimer, president 

 of the Northern National Bank of Ashland, Wisconsin, 

 who, in a recent letter to American Forestry, said: 



"I am very much interested in the literature received 

 from time to time from your association and, being a 

 lumberman of some years' standing, have some ideas 

 about the best way to preserve our forests, and in this 

 connection would say I believe we should begin with 

 proper legislation and particularly tax legislation. As 

 the taxes are now, in practically all of the states standing 

 timber pays an annual tribute going higher and higher 

 each year, thus putting timber owners in a very uncom- 

 fortable condition — forcing a man to cut his holdings in 

 order to realize something besides taxes for his invest- 

 ment, in so doing, owing to market conditions, he is com- 

 pelled to leave a large amount of valuable timber, either 



to be blown down or burned up. Under proper tax con- 

 ditions he would only be compelled to cut as fast as the 

 market would warrant, and when he did cut, should he 

 pay a cumulative tax, there would be coming to the tim- 

 ber owner exactly what belongs to him and no more. 

 What timber remained would be for future years or 

 future generations. 



"Proceeding a little further with our legislation, in 

 order to cut our timber clean we should legislate so that 

 timber from other countries would not come in competi- 

 tion with our own as it does at this time. My opinion is 

 that there is as much timber wasted in the United States 

 today, owing to free admission of lumber into the United 

 States, as would offset the value of lumber that is im- 

 ported from Canada and British Columbia. The Ameri- 

 can people are out just the amount of money we pay the 

 outsider for his lumber. 



"It is hardly a practical proposition to reforest, or to 

 perpetuate the forests we now have, until we have leg- 

 islation that will protect the forests. I believe the true 

 solution would be the cumulative tax, together with a 

 sufficient duty upon imported lumber that would enable 

 us to cut our forests clean as we go along." 



