THE EMPIRE FORESTRY ASSOCIATION. 99 



Mr E. F. L. Wood, Under-Secretary for the Colonies, said 

 that the Colonial Office was fully alive to the value of the work 

 which that Association would do, and of the immense importance 

 of its labours. Mr Churchill was entirely with them in this 

 matter, and had within the past few weeks refused to permit the 

 cutting down of forestry staffs in two West African Colonies. 

 The resources of the Empire in connection with forestry were 

 almost staggering, and he mentioned that in Canada there were 

 available 250 million acres of timber fit for sawing. In the 

 Crown Colonies and Protectorates there were 400,000 square 

 miles of timber suitable for sawing. Owing to the consumption 

 of timber in the war, they had been brought in sight of a timber 

 famine. He was a heartfelt believer in the policy of doing 

 everything in their power to develop the use of Empire-grown 

 timber within the Empire. 



Lord Lovat, Chairman of the Forestry Commission, moved 

 the following resolution : — "That in the opinion of this meeting 

 a determined effort is needed to secure the early extension in all 

 countries of the British Empire of a constructive forest policy, 

 whereby the natural sylvan resources of the Empire may be 

 scientifically conserved and prudently exploited for the mutual 

 benefit of the British Commonwealth of nations; and, further, 

 that this meeting recommends as eminently deserving of public 

 interest and support the newly inaugurated Empire Forestry 

 Association, which is pledged to supplement the normal activities 

 of official departments and bureaux by constant education of 

 public opinion in the matter of forest problems and policy, by 

 steady endeavours to stimulate the wider utilisation of the many 

 valuable commercial timbers of the Dominions, Colonies, and 

 Protectorates, and by the promotion of mutual friendship and 

 co-operation between forest experts in all parts of the British 

 Empire." 



In doing so Lord Lovat traced the way in which this Associa- 

 tion had grown out of the Imperial Forestry Conference, and 

 said that there were a great many lines of work which a private 

 association could carry on and which a State Department could 

 not. One might divide the industry into two parts — the con- 

 servation of forestry and the utilisation of the products. Con- 

 servation included forest law, forest policy of the State, silvi- 

 culture, the preparation of land, the production of the crop, the 

 question of research and education, and other subjects. Con- 



