A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 1599 



may well continue to assume aggressive leadership in suggesting and 

 working for desirable State and National legislation dealing with 

 forestry. 



Finally, these institutions have an important responsibility and 

 opportunity for service in the field of forest research. In this field 

 the forest schools and universities are joined by the independent 

 endowed research institutions and arboreta, such as the Carnegie 

 Institute of Washington, the Boyce Thompson Institute for Plant 

 Research, Inc., the Mellon Institute of Industrial Research, Institute 

 of Forest Genetics, the Arnold Arboretum, the Missouri Botanical 

 Gardens, the New York Botanical Gardens, etc. All these agencies 

 are in an especially advantageous position because they are free to 

 undertake the study of any phase of technical forestry or the basic 

 sciences which underlie it. Their efforts may well be directed at 

 fundamental problems of tree growth, tree breeding, or basic economic 

 problems which for one reason or another may be neglected in the 

 programs of other agencies. 



In the national programs the activities of institutions of this sort 

 should be given every possible encouragement. Their work might 

 well be supplemented by a separate institute endowed specifically for 

 forest research as suggested in the section "A Program for Forest 

 Research." No specific financial program can be set up for these 

 institutions, beyond an estimate that the establishment of the pro- 

 posed forest research institute might require an annual income of 

 $1,000,000. 



Aside from the educational and research institutions a forest credit 

 agency such as that suggested in the section " Federal Aid in Organiz- 

 ing Forest Credit Facilities," if established, would constitute a quasi- 

 public institution which might play an important part in stimulating 

 private forest management on a large scale. Although it is contem- 

 plated that it is a Federal responsibility to organize and provide the 

 initial capital, it is believed that such an agency, once started, should 

 function as an independent self-supporting institution operating 

 under a broad legislative charter but not under direct political control 

 in any way. No specific financial program for such an institution 

 is suggested as the scope and characteristics of the undertaking should 

 first be given additional study. 



In the category of quasi-public institutions are also the forestry 

 and conservation associations which have had such a large part in 

 the formulation of public opinion, in the passage of desirable legisla- 

 tion, and in defeating undesirable legislation. The opportunity for 

 the representation of groups of public-spirited citizens in construc- 

 tive action will be as great in the future as it has been in the past. 



THE PART OF THE STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS 



It is undesirable to attempt, in this report, to propose a definite 

 forestry program for each individual State, since that is properly the 

 function and privilege of State authorities. In order to develop a co- 

 ordinated program for the Federal, State, and private agencies, how- 

 ever, it is necessary to estimate the combined responsibilities of all 

 State and local governments. 



It is difficult and perhaps unnecessary to distinguish sharply be- 

 tween the efforts of State government and those of local government. 



