EDITORIAL COMMENT 

 The; Americax Forkstrv Association Returns to Normalcy 



On April 20 a considerable number of officers and members of the 

 American Forestry Association presented to the Board of Directors a 

 protest against the course taken by the Board at the annual meeting 

 of the Association in transfering the control of the affairs of the Asso- 

 ciation to seven permanent directors. The committee further de- 

 manded a change in some of the policies of the Association. As a 

 result of this protest, three Directors and three of the insurgent 

 members of the American Forestry Association got together to con- 

 sider the matter. On August 25 they submitted definite recommenda- 

 tions which were unanimously approved by the Board of Directors 

 on August 30, 1921. Both the protest and the conference report are 

 published elsewhere in the Journal. 



By approving the recommendations embodied in the conference 

 report the Board of Directors agreed to eliminate the provision for 

 seven permanent directors, accepted the recommendations of the com- 

 mittee for the election of all non-salaried officers by letter ballot of the 

 entire member.ship, to abolish the power of the Directors to amend 

 the by-laws, and to employ a competent trained forester to guide the 

 editorial policy of the magazine and promote forestry in the States 

 and the Nation. 



It takes a truly big man to admit his mistakes. The Directors of the 

 American Forestry Association proved big enough men to retract the 

 course taken by them at the last annual meeting as an unwise one. 

 Their willingness to folloAv the suggestions of the committee and to 

 place the management of the Association once more on a basis which 

 would command the confidence of the forest profession and the public 

 stamps them further as sincere men genuinely interested in forestry. 



As long as there was danger that the management of the American 

 Forestry Association might become autocratic and its usefulness as an 

 organ for the promotion of forestry in this country impaired, the 

 Journal of Forestry felt it its duty to speak its mind frankly and 

 vigorously. The recent decision of the Board of Directors, a decision 

 which it does not question, was made in entire sincerity and perfectly 



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