240 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



FOREST PRODUCTS LABORATORY. 



The major part of the investigative work to promote better use 

 of what our forests furnish is now conducted at the forest-products 

 laboratorj^ which has been developed at Madison, Wis. The facili- 

 ties for scientific research provided by this laboratory are unexcelled 

 in any country, and the building up of this instrument of research 

 is in itself an achievement of no mean importance. Results are be- 

 ing attained which mean a lessened drain upon our forest supplies 

 through more economical use of material, the opening of new sources 

 of supply for various industries, the utilization of every kind of 

 wood for the purpose to which its intrinsic qualities best adapt it, 

 a greater incentive to the practice of forestry because of the increased 

 returns made possible, better adjustment of wood-using industries 

 to meet the conditions created by past use without forethought, and 

 a general clarifying of the situation with respect to our forest re- 

 sources and requirements through accurate knowledge of what these 

 requirements are and what is available to fill them. 



PROBLEMS OF MANAGEMENT. 



But by far the greatest achievement of the 16 years in forestry has 

 been the working out of the national forest policy provided for by 

 the act of June 4, 1897. This achievement is, indeed, one of the nota- 

 ble events in the recent history of the country. It may fairly be 

 expected to remain an enduring milestone of progress and a matter 

 of permanent importance. Without mention of it, no future account 

 of the first decade of the twentieth century will be complete. 



The act of June 4, 1897, conferred upon the Secretary of the Inte- 

 rior every authority and power necessary for managing the national 

 forests in accordance with the principles of practical forestry. Funds 

 for this purpose were first made available for the fiscal year 1899. 

 An administrative force, consisting of superintendents, supervisors, 

 and rangers, was thereupon organized. It shortly became apparent, 

 however, that the task of opening the forests to wise use and of 

 developing their resources effectively was one for which the depart- 

 ment then in charge was not well equipped. Accomplishment of this 

 task demanded not only authority in law but also technical knowl- 

 edge constructively applied. In so far as there existed at that time 

 any technical knowledge at all of the principles of forest manage- 

 ment, it was in the small but energetically working and rapidly grow- 

 ing Division of Forestry in this department. The result was that 

 on December 7, 1899, the Secretary of the Interior made a request 

 upon me for technical advice regarding the management of the 

 forests. 



