only for trees, 1,000,000 is owned and protected by 

 the State. The other 5,000,000 has been aptly called 

 the "Pennsylvania Desert." It is producing nothing, 

 and that is the best definition of a desert. If this 

 Pennsylvania desert were protected from fire it 

 wonld produce substantially all of the wood needed 

 by the people of our State. Fire makes it and keeps 

 it a desert. One great problem is to stop fire. 



"Forest fires do not stop with the destruction of 

 the forest. They destroy also the industries which 

 depend upon the forest and the opportunity for em- 

 ployment afforded them. I am deeply interested in 

 restoring the forests of Pennsylvania and the in- 

 dustries which go with them, and sincere in my in- 

 tention to leave nothing undone that is practical and 

 possible to bring back to our forests the enormous 

 power of production which was once one of the 

 blessings of the State, and can be so again. 



"Why not restore Penn's woods? "Why not let 

 these mountains contribute once more as they have 

 done in the past to the wealth, prosperity and beauty 

 of Pennsylvania? 



"The first step is to put an end to the unmitigated 

 curse of forest fire. The second is to take into the 

 hands and under the protection of the Common- 

 wealth, as soon as we can, the 5,000,000 acres of the 

 Pennsylvania desert. 



"These things take money. I have strong hope 

 that the next Legislature will appropriate generously 

 to stop the curse of forest fire, and as much as the 

 revenues of the State and the just demands of the 

 other departments of our work will permit, for the 



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