1050 A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



CONCLUSION 



Existing control does not go far enough to protect the present or 

 future generations. It is to be expected that proposals for more 

 adequate enforcement of existing legislation, as well as for further 

 requirements, will meet with opposition and indifference. However, 

 this is no reason for dropping public regulation as one of the essential 

 means for insuring that our forest resources will be perpetuated and 

 handled so as to promote the public welfare. On the contrary, every 

 effort should be made to obtain the backing of public opinion, includ- 

 ing the forest owners, for adequate regulation. 



To do this will involve a continuous process of education regarding 

 the importance of forests to the welfare of individual citizens and of 

 the public as a whole. It should be made clear, particularly to forest 

 owners, that such regulation as is proposed will not unduly interfere 

 in the handling of their property, and that in the long run it will be to 

 their advantage through preserving property values and extending the 

 life of forest industries. As soon as practicable, regulation based on 

 the principles outlined above should be adopted as a public policy. 

 Specific suggestions for a program of public regulation of private 

 forests in the United States are given under the heading " A Possible 

 Program for Public Regulation " in a later part of this report (The 

 National Programs Required and the Responsibility for Them). 



