Canadian forestry 3oumal 



VOL. ^tfV. 



JANUARY, 1919 



No. 1 



RECONSTRUCTION IS A CONSERVATION QUESTION 



B^ Citford Pinchot, Former Chief Forester of the United States. 



December 9, 1918. 



How can we make use of the 

 earth in order to make its forests 

 and waters, lands and minerals, 

 more available for the service of 

 humanity than ever ])efore — more 

 effective toward the greatest good 

 to the greatest number for the 

 longest time? 



That is the fundamental ques- 

 tion in reconstruction. The second 

 ({uestion is. How shall the benefits 

 from the use of the earth be dis- 

 tributed so that more people will 

 be prosperous and happy than ever 

 before? 



Reconstruction is a conservation 

 (juestion, and can not be handled 

 successfully unless the conserva- 

 tion point of view is fully kept in 

 mind. 



In many ways the forest is the 

 fundamental natural resource, for 

 it not only supplies a basic raw 

 material of modern civilization, 

 but makes it possible for us to get 

 and use the other raw materials 

 whicli it does not ilself supi)ly. 

 Wilhoul wood, men have not ad- 

 vanced ])eyond the Ks(iuimaux 

 stage. Reconslrnclion can nol be 

 successfully handled by neglecling 

 the forests. 



Yon in Canada are more forlnn- 

 ate than we in the I'nited States in 

 having begun to save your forests 

 before deslruclion had advanced 

 to the point it had in onrs. You 

 have begun to prepare your plans 

 for reconstruction earlier also. 1 



MR. GIFFORD PINCHOT 



formerly Oliiel" Kurcstrr oi" ilie I'nittHl States, 



and ono of iho dynamic tiKures in tlie forest 



conservation movement on this continent. 



venture to expiTss the earnest 

 hope that in plaiming for Ihe new, 

 greater, and more glorious Canada 

 which wc rejoice to see eineiging 

 from the War, you will keep in Ihe 

 forelVonl of youi- iniuds Ihe 

 rX)Hl^ST, molher of men and 

 source of piosperily, and thai you 

 will build lirmly for youi- immea- 

 surable fulure in forestry, and in 

 all othei- branches of Ihe great 

 problem of reconstruction. 



(;iFF()Pd) nXCHOT. 



