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In the death of Theodore Roosevelt the Society of American For- 

 esters mourns the loss of its greatest, most brilliant, and most effective 

 leader. The early growth of the profession of forestry in the United 

 States was intimately bound up with his statesmanship while President. 

 As a leader of the conservation movement, he brought forcibly home to 

 the American people the need of wise use and protection of the natural 

 resources of this country. The crystallization of the conservation 

 policy and the realization in large measure of forest conservation was 

 one of the greatest achievements of his administration, and of pro- 

 found significance in our progress toward national efficiency. 



As a lover of nature and the; out-of-doors, he was keenly interested 

 in the forests, mountains, streams, and wild life. As a traveler and 

 explorer he expanded our knowledge of the forests of remote regions, 

 both in Africa and in South America. By his proclamation, 148,000,000 

 acres of National Forests were set aside — an amount three times the 

 total proclaimed by all other Presidents since 1891, when the making 

 of National Forest reservations began. It was in his administration, 

 and largely because of his advocacy, that a true National Forest policy 

 was made possible by the transfer of the National Forests from the 

 Department of the Interior to the Department of Agriculture, in order 

 that these Forests might be placed under technical supervision. He 

 realized the need of technical foresters in this country for the reali- 

 zation of this National Forest policy, and therefore actively furthered 

 forest education. He became an honorary member of the Society of 

 American Foresters, and, while President of the United States, ad- 

 dressed the Society upon the ideals and duties of American foresters. 

 This address still remains to its members an inspiration of high pur- 

 pose and of public service. As long as these ideals remain the guiding 

 principle of the profession, the Society will remain in the forefront of 

 progressive thought and action in this country. 



On behalf of the Executive Committee: 



GiFFORD PiNCHOT. 



Henry S. Graves. 



