654 JOURNAL OF FORESTRY 



carved out of the public domain. The surrender of other lands or of 

 hard cash for the deeded lands that are to be acquired will emphasize 

 the importance of wise selection, and especially of detailed investiga- 

 tion upon which to gauge their potential uses and their cash value. 



It may seem that the discussion has wandered from the subject, 

 "What is Potential Forest Land?" If so, it has at least pointed the 

 need of an answer to that question. So far, the determination has been 

 made under a system of "cut and try." No rule and no ready-made 

 answer have been found, and probably none will be. A great deal 

 might be said about the nature of the problem and ways of attacking it 

 which the limits of this paper do not allow. Let land classification 

 serve as an example. 



The Forests have recently been classified, to learn the location and 

 area of lands chiefly valuable for agriculture. It is a notable work ; 

 perhaps the most comprehensive and far-reaching achievement of the 

 Service to date. It has settled the question aimed at, in so far as it 

 was humanly possible to settle it at the time, but only a fatuous optimist 

 would claim that it will remain correct in its entirety. Changing eco- 

 nomic conditions and improved farming methods may require the list- 

 ing of lands that are now non-listable, or public uses may develop to a 

 point where some of the farming lands will no longer be chiefly valu- 

 able for agriculture. The Forest Service must keep abreast of develop- 

 ments and ahead of them. Land classification has given us a breathing 

 space in which to check our conclusions, strengthen them, or revise 

 them. If the Service ceases to be open-minded on the subject, it will 

 have ceased to progress. 



We believe in the permanence of the National Forests. If we are 

 optimists, we believe that ultimately each type of land will be put to its 

 highest use. That may mean that the Forests will be enlarged or it may 

 mean further eliminations; perhaps both. Time will tell what the 

 highest use of each type is. But we cannot afford to wait ; we cannot 

 afford to settle back with the contented self-assurance that we have 

 done the best we could, and wait for developments to upset our con- 

 clusions. Success will be achieved in proportion as the Forest Service 

 foresees developments and prepares for them — not merely for five 

 years ahead, but for the indefinite future. 



It is significant that the most practical and applicable data upon the 

 question of what should constitute National Forest land that have yet 

 been secured came from the most far-reaching study — land classifica- 

 tion. Along: that wav lies the solution. I do not mean merely con- 



