l.-)4 JOURNAL OF FORESTRY 



to laws, the attempts to control private management have been largely 

 without the desired result. 



We may come as well now as ever to the realization that forestry is 

 and must become State business. In the main the community must own 

 and manage the forest resources, and this in spite of the fact that at 

 present four-fifths of the forest area is in private hands. 



Such public ownerships may rest either in the Federal Government, 

 the individual States, or other political subdivision, with the preference 

 always for the larger unit. In the end the financial aspect of such an 

 ambitious program of bringing the bulk of the forests of the United 

 States back into Government ownership points to a co-operation of 

 Federal and State governments. 



In this respect, too, the war has produced new attitudes favorable to 

 such co-operation. 



The lumber industry, as is well known, is at present in economic 

 difficulties, the causes of which have been carefully analyzed and found 

 to be largely financial. Overinvestment in timber is one of the causes, 

 and that condition is favorable for developing a financial arrangement 

 with the Government taking over the properties on the most favorable 

 terms. 



In some cases where large holdings are concerned co-operation of 

 the State with private owners is also thinkable under conditions which 

 make for continuous production. In this connection I recall a most 

 painstaking discussion of the situation of the lumber industry by Pro- 

 fessor Kirkland (J. F., XV, 1917, p. 15). He works out a plan of 

 organization in detail which contemplates a co-operative arrangement 

 between private timberland owners by which their financial difficulties 

 might be solved. 



But we are skeptical as to the practicability of shaping the financial 

 arrangements for private owners so as to safeguard the future regard- 

 ing forest production. The future belongs to the community at large, 

 and it or its representative, the Government, alone can be expected to 

 make the outlay which is needed for assuring such a future. 



It is, however, thinkable that a co-operation between Government 

 and private owners might be established which would take care of the 

 financial situation as well as the communal interests, providing a grad- 

 ual change to State ownership. In the end a co-operative system, in 

 which town or county. State and Federal Government, and private 

 ownership take part, could be elaborated. 



I suggested last year that the Society appoint a legislative committee 

 to work out the details of such a scheme of Federal and State co-opera- 

 tion on practical lines, and I close with repeating this suggestion. 



