FORESTRY COMMISSION. 4 1 



for England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales, established by His 

 Majesty the King by order in Council on the 20th of March 

 1920, are set out at the end of the Report. A perusal of the 

 Report, especially the opening sections, cannot fail, we believe, 

 to convince even the most sceptical, if any such still exist, that 

 a national forest policy is essential to our everyday existence 

 and requirements, and that without such a policy the future 

 prosperity and safety of the nation would be endangered. The 

 Report is worthy of careful study which it will well repay, and 

 no one interested in forestry should miss reading it if he would 

 keep abreast of the times. The rapid progress already made 

 on sound lines by the Forestry Commission inspires the hope 

 that, although late in starting, British State Forestry will in 

 the shortest time possible rank equal to that of the more 

 advanced countries of Europe. 



The world is short of timber and the shortage cannot be 

 made good faster than the trees will grow. We have every 

 reason to believe that tree-growth in this country, with our 

 great advantages in suitable soil, climate, and fast-growing 

 species, will give us supplies of timber sooner than it will be 

 possible to obtain increased supplies from other countries, and 

 therefore, now is the time to press forward with all available 

 means and energy in re-establishing and increasing our wood- 

 land areas, and this, as a perusal of the Report will show, 

 the Forestry Commission are strenuously endeavouring to 

 accomplish. 



