The History of Forestry in America 



appropriation bill enacted in 1876 

 contained a rider on the section deal- 

 ing with free seed distribution, which 

 authorized the Commissioner of Agri- 

 culture to appoint, at a salary of 

 $2,000, "a man of approved attain- 

 ments and practically well acquainted 

 with the methods of statistical inquiry" 

 to investigate and make a detailed 

 report on forestry. 



Dr. Hough was appointed to the 

 new position, and his three voluminous 

 reports, published in 1877, 1880, and 

 1882, contained much significant in- 

 formation on American forests and 

 the forest-products industries and on 

 European forestry. 



A fourth volume was contributed 

 in 1884 by N. H. Egleston, who suc- 

 ceeded Hough in 1883. At that time 

 the Division of Forestry, which had 

 been formally established in 1881, con- 

 sisted of the Chief and three field 

 agents, and received an appropriation 

 of $10,000. 



Both Hough and Egleston, and the 

 Commissioners of Agriculture, were 

 active in the work of the American 

 Forestry Association and the American 

 Forestry Congresses. The Association 

 was organized in Philadelphia in 1876 

 for the purpose of "protection of the 

 existing forests of the country from 

 unnecessary waste, and the promotion 

 of the propagation and planting of 

 useful trees." In calling the prelimi- 

 nary organization meeting in 1875, 

 John A. Warder stated as one objective 

 of the proposed association, "The fos- 

 tering of all interests of forest planting 

 and conservation on this continent." 

 The term "forest conservation," there- 

 fore, was in use more than 30 years 

 before it was taken up and popularized 

 by Gifford Pinchot and Theodore 

 Roosevelt. 



The Association was not very active, 

 but took on new life in 1882 when it 

 merged with the American Forestry 

 Congress, organized earlier that year 

 on the occasion of a visit by Baron von 

 Steuben, a Prussian forester and de- 

 scendent of the general who helped 

 defeat Cornwallis at Yorktown. 



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The constitution of the merged as- 

 sociation, drafted under the leadership 

 of B. E. Fernow, specified as its objec- 

 tives "the discussion of subjects relat- 

 ing to tree planting; the conservation, 

 management, and renewal of forests; 

 the climatic and other influences that 

 affect their welfare; the collection of 

 forest statistics; and the advancement 

 of educational, legislative, or other 

 measures tending to the promotion of 

 these objects." 



The new organization met one or 

 more times each year and was active in 

 drafting proposals for both State and 

 Federal legislation. At a meeting in 

 1886 in Denver, two resolutions were 

 adopted : 



"That the public lands at the 

 sources of streams, necessary for the 

 preservation of the water supply, 

 should be granted by the General Gov- 

 ernment to the several States, to be 

 held and kept by such States in per- 

 petuity, for the public use, with a view 

 to maintaining and preserving a full 

 supply of water in all rivers and 

 streams." 



"That fire is the most destructive 

 enemy of the forest, and that most 

 stringent regulations should be adopted 

 by the National and State and Terri- 

 torial governments to prevent its out- 

 break and spread in timber stands." 



Largely through the influence and 

 encouragement of the American For- 

 estry Congress, several local or State 

 associations were formed; they were 

 responsible for the formulation and 

 enactment of a number of State 

 forestry policies. 



Colorado was the first State to make 

 provision for management of its forest 

 lands. Its constitution, adopted when 

 it was admitted to the Union in 1876, 

 directed the legislature to provide for 

 protection and management of State 

 forest lands. Nothing was done until 

 1885, when a Forestry Commission was 

 created, but the Commission was ac- 

 tive for only a few years. The Colorado 

 Constitutional Convention also asked 

 Congress to turn over control of Fed- 

 eral forest lands to the States and Ter- 



