REVIIvWS 557 



(b) The amendment of the present State forestry laws, which now 

 forbid the sale of timber less than 8 inches in diameter at a height of 

 20 feet from the ground, so as to permit the sale of lodgepole pine of 

 smaller size which should be cut for the good of the forests and to 

 reduce the fire menace. 



(c) The enactment of a law authorizing the State Forester to sell 

 without advertising live timber not exceeding $500 in value. 



(d) The enactment of a law requiring the disposal by burning or 

 ■otherwise of the brush, slash, and other inflammable material incident 

 to cutting on all lands within the State of Montana, whether public or 

 private. 



(e) The erection of a forestry building at the State fair grounds, to 

 be used for the permanent exhibition of material relating to Montana's 

 forest resources. 



(/) The authorization of the Forestry Department by the State 

 Board of Land Commissioners to use airplanes in forest-fire patrol. 

 The State Forester estimates that one machine will equal the services 

 •of 60 men. 



The remarkable feature of Mr. Preston's paper, as part of a State 

 Forester's report, is that it actually discusses in a comprehensive way 

 some of the fundamentals of forestry. In place of glittering generali- 

 ties regarding the need for forest conservation, of botanical descrip- 

 tions of forest trees, and of hackneyed arguments for fire protection, it 

 is a relief to find in a report of this kind a plea for handling the forests 

 -on a sustained-yield basis, backed up by facts and figures and accom- 

 panied by definite recommendations for State action. 



The underlying theme of Mr. Preston's paper is expressed in his 

 own words, as follows : 



"We have the choice now of saying whether we want a permanent forest in- 

 dustry or only sawdust piles and waste land to remind us of past prosperity. . . . 

 Thirty per cent (which includes the best timber) of the forest resources are in 

 the hands of private owners. The control and proper use of this land and timber 

 are entirely matters for the State to undertake. It means not only some degree 

 ■ of control, but active assistance to the industry which manufacures finished prod- 

 ucts from the forests. The purpose of this report is to show the extent and value 

 of the forests of the State, the lumber industry which they support, the wealth 

 created, and the people dependent on it for a livelihood, the present and future 

 needs of the people of the State for forest products, and, lastly and most impor- 

 tant, to point out some of the things the State must do to develop and make per- 

 manent the wealth and industry which come from well-regulated forests. We 

 must not wait until our forests are depleted with axe and fire before taking steps 

 to insure the permanency of the forest industry. Montana should take steps now 

 to strengthen the State forestry organization so that it will be able not only to look 



