STATE ACCOMPLISHMENTS AND PLANS 



By HERBERT A. SMITH, Assistant Forester, C. R. TILLOTSON, District Forest 

 Inspector, and Catherine M. O'DONNELL, Law Compiler 



CONTENTS 



Page 



The diversity of State policies of forestry 733 



Diversities within regions 734 



Diversities between regions 737 



The origin and development of State policies of forestry 742 



How State forestry started 742 



Why the early movement accomplished little 745 



Early Federal forestry movement 746 



The first stages of forestry administration by the States 749 



The New York problem of objectives 756 



New York's decision for the Adirondacks 759 



Further development of forest administration in New York, to 191 5_ 760 



The origin of the "conservation department" idea 762 



The development of State forests in Pennsylvania 763 



The first steps in organized fire protection " 764 



Summary of progress in State forestry activities down to the passage 



of the Weeks law 766 



The effect of the Weeks law on State forestry 776 



The present status of State forestry activities 778 



State organizations 778 



The promotion of private forestry 783 



State forest land administration 823 



THE DIVERSITY OF STATE POLICIES OF FORESTRY 



The forest policies of the several States are conspicuously diverse. 

 They differ not only (as would naturally be expected) regionally, in 

 consequence of having to face unlike problems, or because of dif- 

 ferences in wealth and resulting capacity to undertake public enter- 

 prises for the general welfare, or on account of different traditions and 

 conceptions regarding the proper field of government; they differ 

 also in States of substantially identical problems, comparable capacity 

 to meet them, and generally similar traditions and practices in the 

 matter of government. Yet State forestry has not been evolved by 

 each State independently. The development of these varied policies 

 and programs has taken place in integral connection with the general 

 forestry movement, which has been national in character. 



The clue to many of the dissimilarities in the approach of different 

 States to essentially similar problems, and in the degree of progress 

 made, can be found only by tracing out the history of the forestry 

 movement in each State. Much has been due to accident, and much 

 to the personality and aggressiveness of individual leaders or oppon- 

 ents. The state of public sentiment and the attitude of the press have 

 of course been important. The essential point to bear in mind is 

 that, if the future is to be judged by the past, uniformity of action 

 should not be looked for, even where substantially identical situations 

 have to be dealt with. 



733 



