PRACTICAL FORESTRY IN NEW BRUNSWICK. 17 



they may be accused of favoritism by their political opponents in 

 the matter of laxity of enforcement or collection of stumpage 

 dues. In either case their position is a hard one and forestry pro- 

 gress slow. 



Given such a commission, with expert knowledge available on 

 any subject, coupled with the practical experience of the lumber- 

 men on such a body, and the power of public opinion back of 

 them, and they could progress by gradual stages to the accom- 

 plishment of their designs. The very fact that they were admin- 

 istering the forests not for the prestige of a political party but as 

 held in trust for the people would insure careful deliberation and 

 cautious procedure before any important regulations were made. 



Under present conditions, let us speak of some of the dangers 

 which threaten the forests. Apart from fire, a subject which is 

 re-hashed at every forestry convention but never exhausted, the 

 principal cause of forest destruction is unwise and improvident 

 cutting. Speaking of this danger of overcutting. Forester Graves 

 in Forestry Quarterly, Volume 6, says: "The responsibility of a 

 forester in this matter to a private owner is great, but it is even 

 greater for the forester in charge of i)ublic land, where the inter- 

 ests of a great number are involved. There is a special tempta- 

 tion to overcut public forests without sufficient regard to the 

 future. Appropriations are usually small at the beginning, and 

 the torest officer is naturally anxious to make a record by showing 

 a large financial return. His appropriation is frequently insuffici- 

 ent to protect his forest properly or to establish an efficient execu- 

 tive and administrative machinery. To secure the money for this 

 one is apt to make heavy cuttings . Our public foresters have the 

 responsibility of providing a supply of timber to meet the present 

 demands, but even a greater responsibility to provide for the 

 future, not only for the demands of twenty, thirty but fifty to one 

 hundred ye-ars henoe, when the virgin supply on private holdings 

 will have been exhausted and the public supply will be of much 

 greater importance than at present. Foresters in charge of Gov- 

 ernment and state property hold a trust from the people, not only 

 to utilize wisely the present supply of timber, but to maintain and 

 increase the production of the future. Extensive lumbering oper- 

 ations, on our Government and state reserves, if made without 

 regard to reproduction, or when the forester has practically no 



