THE TREE PLANTERS OF AMERICA 



REFORESTATION. 



By the farmer boys and youth of the United States through a 

 great national organization to be known as 



THE TREE PLANTERS OF AMERICA. 



It must be evident to every reflective mind that in order to make 

 reforestation permanent and far-reaching, the idea of its value and 

 absolute necessity must be impressed upon the farmer boys of the 

 country, for the forests of the future will be in their hands. For 

 all time the boys of today will be the men of tomorrow, and exactly 

 in proportion as the boys of America are trained in the varied fields 

 of human endeavor, so will be the future of America. 



Reared to the practice of tree-planting, conservation of the tim- 

 ber supply, and schooled in the science of forestry, the habit will be- 

 come fixed for life, and the custom of tree-planting will have been 

 extended to all parts of the United States, and all the farmers will 

 be practical foresters. 



All farmer boys and youth of the country should be eligible to 

 membership in the Tree-Planters. 



There should be systematic tree planting in profitless pastures, 

 nooks, ravines ; on hillsides and house lawns ; on useless or worn-out 

 spots or partly denuded forest acres on the farm, and in every 

 place where the soil is not yielding a reasonable contribution to the 

 general welfare. 



From time to time, through publications and by personal visits 

 of experts from the United States forest service, the "Tree-Plant- 

 ers" should be instructed in scientific forestry in all its branches. 



The national government, or the state, or both, should confer 

 medals, badges or other tokens of recognition for meritorious work. 

 This will strengthen the ambition of the boys and increase their in- 

 terest and activity in the task of tree planting. 



