JOURNAL OF FORESTRY 



Vol. XV FEBRUARY, 1917 No. 2 



THE CORRELATION OF AMERICAN FOREST RESEARCH 



By Earle H. Clapp "^^!' ■ 



Assistant Forester, Forest Service sjoTa.' 



<_' .'•- ■'- 



The full development and use of forest lands which comprise at 

 least one-fourth of our total land area in the United States will depend 

 in part upon the policy of the owner whether Federal Government, 

 State, or individual. It will depend in part upon the economic a^d 

 other conditions which result in the demand for forest products and 

 give them value. Finally, it will depend in no small degree upon the 

 exact knowledge available as a basis for forestry. In a sense, exact 

 knowledge, which can be obtained only through research, influences, or 

 can be made to influence, both policy and economic conditions. The 

 owner will go much further than otherwise when he is sure his under- 

 taking is practicable. With exact knowledge foresters and wood-using 

 industries are equipped with a powerful means of influencing economic 

 changes. Scientific research is therefore at the foundation of perma- 

 nent forest development in the United States. 



That the basic importance of research is being more and more 

 recognized is shown by its initiation by private concerns, by universi- 

 ties, and by States. It was one of the earliest activities of the Federal 

 Forest Service. Yet the field for forest investigations which is still 

 untouched is of such magnitude that the Federal Government and 

 other organizations can not hope for years to come to secure the 

 knowledge which is needed. One reason why better progress has not 

 been made is that all of the agencies now engaged in forest research 

 in the United States are working independently. Far too little is 

 known by any one of the efforts which are being made by the rest. 



Delivered at the New York meeting of the Society, December 29, 1916. 



165 



