COMMENTS ON THE FORESTRY PROGRAM 471 



lands while overcoming some of the foregoing objections brings certain 

 others in their stead, and involves a tremendous expenditure of money 

 during a short period, if put into practice on a large scale. 



In the May, 1919, Journal of Forestry, W. N. Sparhawk brings 

 out a new plan under the title of "How Can the Private Forest Lands 

 be Brought Under Forest Management?" He recites the objections 

 both to private ownership and to straight Government ownership, and 

 suggests a plan of private ownership with Government operation. The 

 points in favor of such a program appear so great as to make it the 

 most feasible solution of our problem that has been presented to date. 

 It is considered significant that a similar program has been recom- 

 mended by government interests in England as adaptable for a solution 

 of their forest problem. 



That some headway is being made in the way of provision for a 

 future supply of special products is indicated by a bill recently intro- 

 duced in the Senate by Senator Poindexter of Washington, aiming at 

 an assured future supply of pulpwood. This with other activities 

 indicates that we as a nation are beginning to realize the situation, and 

 that some progress is being made toward the solution of the problem. 

 However, these isolated attempts at forestry even though coupled with 

 active propaganda by foresters throughout the country, should not 

 lead us to the conclusion that our forest problem is solved and that all 

 we need is an act of Congress. To protect the present stand of timber 

 and the growing stock, thus providing for ultimate renewal, is really 

 only the beginning of forest practice although a vital and funda- 

 mental one. 



In discussing our forest problem we should be exceedingly careful 

 not to indicate that we expect and demand immediate action on a 

 wholesale scale, nor to indicate in any way that immediate benefits 

 will result from immediate action. It takes many years to grow a 

 forest, and it takes many years to develop a forest policy. It took 

 France hundreds of years to develop her forest policy to its present 

 state, and France can certainly show a greater solidarity of interest 

 than can the United States. Furthermore, her forest area of 25 

 million acres is equal only to the forest area of the New England 

 States. We can hardly expect, therefore, to put into practice a com- 

 plete program for the proper management of our 500 million acres of 

 forest land within the .short space of a single generation. We should 

 not lose sight of the fact that this nation has been really cognizant of 

 the need of forestry for only a quarter of a century. Such need has 

 really been brought to the front only during the past fifteen years, or 

 during the time of creation and development of our National Forests 

 as they are to-day. 



The foregoing may seem a pessimistic and damp-spirited view of the 

 situation, but we in American are notriously impatient of results, and 

 we need to keep in mind the fact that should some national forest 

 policy be put into operation to-day, none of us would live to witness to 

 any appreciable extent the material benefits of such an undertaking. 



