SOCIETY AFFAIRvS 



A ClIALLItxNGE 



hf embers of the Society: 



The "Caj)pcr Report'' has stated that the forests in this country are 

 jjrowing only one-fourth as fast as they are being cut. Are you 

 satisfied as to the accuracy of this statement? Are you content to 

 remain in isj^norance of the potential growth on lands already forested, 

 if placed under management; on cut-over lands; on lands which may 

 and should be planted? If you are not content, you must do something. 

 If you have a grain of natural curiosity in your make-up, a grain of 

 professional ambition to possess some facts on the subject you are 

 dealing with every day, you are going to check up this statement. You 

 are going to equip yourself to make at least an intelligent estimate of 

 the possible productive capacity of the forests you are most familiar 

 with. 



.\ year or more ago a man prominent in the Society of American 

 Foresters accused the lumbermen of this country of being stupid and 

 blundering in the handling of their business. Tie stirred up a hornets' 

 nest, and rightly. I think. What would you think, how would you 

 feel, if some prominent lumberman should publish the assertion that 

 the foresters in this country were generally lacking in professional, 

 ambition, ignorant of their own subject, and largely failing to carry 

 out the promises, direct or implied, that were contained in the forestry 

 jirogram of 10 or 15 years ago? Well, do you think that Mr. Lumber- 

 man would be so far wrong at that? .\re you sure you are not a 

 swivel-chair lizard? Are you sure you do not write pretentiously on 

 subjects of which you know little, on subjects to which you have not 

 added any really important information? In other words, are you 

 sure you knoii' your forest, and not merely the abstract forestry you 

 have picked up somewhere? In looking after the big things, haven't 

 you somewhat lost contact witli tlie little details which are the heart 

 and soul of forestry? 



I don't intend to be abusive. But I do want you to ask yourselves 

 these questions : I want you to ask and answer frankly whether pro- 



