FOREST POLICY. loi 



The public reservations were named "national forest reserves." 

 President Harrison availed himself immediately (March 30th 

 1891) of the opportunity offered, creating by proclamation the 

 "Yellowstone Park Timberland Reserve." 



A number of national forest reserves were added during Cleve- 

 land's administration. 



The governmental branch in charge of the forest reserves, the 

 General Land Office, was accused of mismanagement; conse- 

 quently the Secretary of the Interior requested the National 

 Academy of Sciences in 1896 to appoint a commission instructed 

 to report on a rational forest policy for the forest lands of the 

 United States. This commission was headed by Charles S. Sar- 

 gent, who appointed Gifford Pinchot secretary of the com- 

 mission. After traversing the west on a flying tour, the com- 

 mission advised the establishment of another 21 million acres 

 of national forest reserves, situated in Washington, Oregon, 

 California, Wyoming, Montana, Idaho, Utah, and South Dakota. 

 The commission was unanimous in denouncing forest pasture as 

 practised or permitted in the reserves. 



Public opinion in the western states, however, upon the pro- 

 clamation by President Cleveland on February 22nd. 1897 of 

 the above 21 million acres of reserves, succeeded in forcing the 

 Senate to suspend and set aside the proclamation in question 

 until March 1898. In the meantime a great change took place in 

 the public opinion of the west: The people becoming convinced 

 that irrigation without forest reserves was impossible. In addi- 

 tion, the General Land Office consented to modify the regula- 

 tions governing the use of the reserves, permitting sheep and 

 cattle pasture to a limited degree, thus removing one of the 

 greatest causes for complaint. 



The change of public opinion was crystallized in the passage of 

 the Act of June 4th. 1897, which forms the basal law under 

 which, with several subsequent amendments, our national forests 

 are being administered. This law: 



1. Provides for the establishment of forest reserves only for 

 the improvement and protection of the forest; for the improve- 

 ment of favorable conditions of stream-flow; and for the per- 

 manency of a timber supply. 



