TWO ADDRESSES 113 



It is comparatively easy where most of the timber lands are owned in 

 large holdings by few individuals for them to associate together in associa- 

 tions for protection from fire. Where there are a very large number of owners 

 that is exceedingly difficult. The protection of small private forests depends 

 on organization. There must be a development of the forests similar to that 

 required on large forests ; and there must be the same kind of efficient ])atrol. 



It is, in my judgment, therefore, essential for the individual states to aid 

 the organization of the work of fire protection on these private lands. A 

 private owner must assume the responsibility of owner- hip of a natural re- 

 source, but private owners should be given that assistance in fire protection 

 and solving the problem of taxation, which is necessary to enable them to 

 practice forestry at all. 



I would therefore urge the importance of a public appreciation that for- 

 estry cannot be accomplished unless the public gives its support; and in 

 developing forestry it is not sufficient merely to pass laws, although that is 

 better than nothing, but it is necessary for the public to give its support and 

 appropriate money enough so that the forests can be properly organized and 

 patroled and forestry actually brought into practice. 



THE HISTORY AND PRESENT TASK OF THE AMERICAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION 



At a meeting of this character it is natural at least for the older members 

 of this association, to recall, by contrast, some of the incidents of the earlier 

 days in the history of the association. Perhaps many of you do not know that 

 the American Forestry Association is nearly thirty years old. It was founded 

 in 1882, and during the earlier days the principal activities of forestry in this 

 country were centered about this organization. Without any question it had 

 a great deal of influence in preparing the way and laying the foundation for 

 the extraordinary development of forestry of later years. It is a fact that in 

 every country forestry has not been established except through the efforts of 

 the government. That is also true in this country for the real work of for- 

 estry had its real beginning when the national government took hold and 

 began to develop a national forest policy. It was not until 1896 that such a 

 policy was initiated. At that time Congress considered the question of how 

 our forests should be handled, and as a result there were set aside by President 

 Cleveland many million acres as forest reserves. This brought forth a tre- 

 mendous opposition, so great that these reserves were suspended for a year, 

 until the people could be made to understand their real purposes. I believe 

 that the very opposition to this policy gave the stimulus to the interest in for- 

 estry which resulted afterwards in the development of a thorough-going policy 

 in national forestry. 



It is a great contrast, as I come back to the government service now, to 

 compare the conditions with those obtaining twelve years ago, when I was 

 serving in the Division of Forestry. There was then but a handful of trained 

 foresters in the country, now there is a well developed profession of forestry ; 

 there is now an established national forest policy, and public sentiment which 

 has declared itself emphatically in favor of national as well as general for- 

 estry. I find that, contrary to the general belief, not only is there a favorable 

 public sentiment in relation to forestry in the east, but that the people at 

 large in the western states are in favor of the national forest policy, and they 

 are uniting in co-operation with us to aid us in the effective administration 

 of the national forests. 



It is natural, in view of this widespread favorable sentiment to forestry, 

 to believe that the work of this association and other agencies, promoting the 

 propaganda of forestry, is about done. Yet, in spite of this public sentiment, 



