100 THE SCHOOL BOOK OF FORESTRY 



eating a live interest and growing sentiment in 

 re-foresting waste lands. 



The appalling waste of timber resources 

 through excessive and reckless cutting, amount- 

 ing to forest devastation, is deplorable, but we 

 are helpless to prevent it. Since the bulk of 

 woodlands are privately owned, and there are no 

 effective laws limiting the cutting of timber with 

 a view to conserving the supply, the only means 

 of bringing about regulated cutting on private 

 lands is through cooperation with the owners. 

 This is being done in some of the states in a lim- 

 ited way, through educational methods, involving 

 investigations, reports, demonstrations, and other 

 means of bringing improved forestry practices 

 to the attention of existing owners and enlist- 

 ing their cooperation and support in forest 

 conservation. 



Forestry in the state, or in the nation, seems 

 to progress no more rapidly than the timber dis- 

 appears ; in fact, the individual states do not take 

 precaution to conserve their timber supplies until 

 exhaustion is threatened. The damage has been 

 largely done before the remedy is considered. 

 We are today paying a tremendous toll for our 

 lack of foresight in these matters. As a timber 



