FEDERAL ACTIVITIES AND LEGISLATION 31 



President Theodore Roosevelt, there was a great expansion in the 

 area of National Forests created from the public domain in the Rocky 

 Mountain and Pacific Coast States. 



March 1, 1911 The Weeks Law was passed providing for the ac- 

 quisition of National Forests in the East by purchase of forest prop- 

 erties on the headwaters of navigable streams. Heretofore our Na- 

 tional Forests could only be created out of the public domain or 

 unalienated lands belonging to the Federal Government. This act 

 provided for the creation of the National Forest Reservation Com- 

 mission and also for cooperative fire protection with the individual 

 states in providing for an adequate system of fire prevention, detec- 

 tion, and suppression. 



June 7, 1924 Clarke-McNary Bill signed by the President. In 

 effect the President and Congress established on a statutory basis a 

 fundamental forest policy for the United States. This provided for 

 effective cooperation with the various states in forest-fire prevention 

 and suppression, authorized a study of forest taxation, authorized 

 cooperation with the various states in production and distribution of 

 forest tree seeds and plants for reforestation purposes, provided as- 

 sistance for the owners of woodlots in establishing, improving, and 

 renewing them, and provided for increased purchases of National For- 

 est lands and other miscellaneous purposes. Congress amended this 

 act in 1931 to extend the provisions of the act to territories and island 

 possessions. 



March 22, 1928 The McSweeney-McNary Bill was passed, pro- 

 viding for a definite program of forest research. 



April 30, 1928 The McNary-Woodruff Bill was passed, author- 

 izing appropriations aggregating $8,000,000 for the extension of the 

 National Forests by purchase during the next three years. 



November 12, 1930 President Hoover appointed the United States 

 Timber Conservation Board which was formally organized in 1931. 

 After considerable discussion the members of this board presented 

 several conclusions and recommendations for the furtherance of a 

 national forest policy. 



1933 With the inauguration of President Franklin D. Roosevelt 

 came a succession of presidential and congressional acts which had a 

 very important bearing upon the development and progress of our 

 federal forest activities. Among these may be mentioned the National 

 Industrial Recovery Act, the Emergency Conservation Work, the Ten- 

 nessee Valley Authority, and the Soil Conservation Service. All these 

 are briefly described later in the text. 



June, 1934 President Roosevelt announced the Great Plains 

 Shelterbelt Project, providing for the relief of unemployment and the 

 protection of homesteads from the drying influences of severe winds 

 by tree planting. This is also described later, in the text. 



