796 JOURNAI, OF FORESTRY 



$10 per thousand feet this would amount to $15,000,000 per year. The 

 value of the forest products obtained would be at least three times as 

 great so that the total wealth produced by this timber land would be 

 at least $45,000,000 per year. And this would all be coming from 

 land which is good for no other productive purpose. It must either 

 grow trees or be useless for anything. To be sure, it will be many 

 decades before all of this area can be put into a productive condition. 

 Yet that is no reason why a start should not be made, and made at 

 once, if the business men of the State can be aroused to the need for 

 immediate action. 



The citizens of Wisconsin must be brought face to face with the 

 fact that forestry is not optional but is truly a "business necessity" if 

 privation, inconvenience, slowing up of industry and development, and 

 eventual disaster are to be avoided. These things may not become 

 serious factors in our generation but there are surely many forward- 

 looking men and women in the State who are willing to unite together 

 in taking action to protect their children and grandchildren from the 

 harmful and certain results of a continuation of the present policy 

 of almost criminal neglect of our forest resources. Indifference, ignor- 

 ance, and procrastination should no longer be allowed to hinder the 

 State from facing and solving this fundamentally important and vital 

 problem of restoring to a productive condition the immense empire of 

 idle forest lands within its boundaries. 



ORGANIZATION OF A FORESTRY COUNCIL 



To be successful, any movement to improve present conditions must 

 have the active support of an influential group of public-spirited men 

 representing all important economic activities in the State. It is 

 beheved that the best form of organization for such a group would be 

 as a Wisconsin Forestry Council, similar in character to the National 

 Research Council and unofficial in its make-up and activities. The 

 first work of our committee should be to quietly organize this council 

 by personal solicitation. The Conservation Commission is in a position 

 to furnish a large number of names of influential citizens throughout 

 the State who have shown an interest in forestry. Undoubtedly the 

 various members of our committee can suggest many other names 

 from among their personal acquaintances and business associates. 



The aim shuold be to try and obtain a small group of men from 

 each congressional district who know each other and can work together 



