MEMORIAL TREES FOR 



ri^HE American Forestry Association has 

 * suggested that Memorial Trees be 

 planted in honor of the sailors and sol- 

 diers who gave their lives in the great 

 war and the idea is sweeping the country 

 and receiving the indorsement of gover- 

 nors, forestry and other state officials and 

 various organizations. Many newspapers 

 are commenting editorially upon the plan. 

 Members of the American Forestry Asso- 

 ciation can do a great work if each will 

 write to his newspaper urging that the 

 American Forestry Association's plan for 

 memorial trees be carefully considered in 

 adopting local plans. Each member will 

 help the association if he will forward to 

 the secretary marked copies of newspapers 

 carrying articles on memorial trees or 

 editorial comment. Then start a campaign 

 in your own community, get a resolution 

 before your city officials and report pro- 

 gress to the secretary. The Lincoln High- 

 way Association has indorsed the plan for 

 tree planting along that motor route. Other 

 .suggestions include county tree planting 

 and others for trees as the proper setting 

 for any memorial that may be adopted. 

 Here follow excerpts from letters the as- 

 sociation has received: 



WILLIAM HOWARD TAFT One fitting and 

 appropriate memorial to our soldier dead would 

 be rows of fine trees planted along the great 

 through highways of the various states. They 

 will stand there for many generations to come 

 and keep fresh in the minds of all passers-by 

 the heroic deeds of those young Americans who 

 gave their lives that freedom and justice and 

 truth might not perish from the earth. I most 

 heartily commend the plan. 



ARTHUR CAPPER, Governor of Kansas^I am 

 most heartily in accord with the idea. It is most 

 appropriate, I feel, that we should have living 

 trees as memorials for our soldier dead whose 

 deeds will live for all time. 



C. R PETTIS. Superintendent, State Forests. 

 New York We must hold dear the memory of 

 those who gave their lives for our court try. 

 Monuments of granite and bronze will be raised 

 in their memory but we should consider living 

 memorials that may be useful. 



T. GILBERT PEARSON, National Association 

 of Audubon Societies The planting of trees means 

 more to bird life than can be estimated. The 

 Audubon Societies most heartily indorse the plan. 



MISS E. F. WHITE, Agricultural College 

 I note with pleasure your campaign urging the 

 planting of memorial trees throughout the coun- 

 try in honor of the soldier and sailor dead and 

 we stand in readiness to be of service. 



JOHN H. WALLACE, JR., Commissioner, Ala 

 bama The patriotic citizens planting trees will 

 reap a rich harvest in perpetuating the sacred 

 memory of the man'inod which achieved the 

 glorious victory. 



ROBERT S. CONKLIN, Commissioner of For- 

 estry, Pa. We feel there is no more beautiful 

 method of commemorating the deeds of heroism 



of our soldiers and sailors in the great war than 

 by erecting to their memory a memorial which 

 will remain green and flourishing for years. 



J. B. MOWRY, Commissioner of Forestry, R. I. 

 I am, to be sure, glad to co-operate in any 

 way that may be desirable as I think the plan 

 is a very good one. 



M. B. PLATT, Deputy State Forester, Cal. 

 I believe that now is the time to urge that these 

 public parks be made lasting memorials to the 

 young men who so gallantly acted in the defense 

 of our country. 



FRANK WILLIAM RANE, State Forester, 

 Mass. The idea is an excellent one. Surely 



T 



rees 



By Joyce Kilmer 



Whon Gave His Life 

 in France 



I think that I shall 



never see 

 A poem lovely as a 



tree. 



A tree whose hungry 

 mouth is prest 



Against the earth's 

 sweet flowing breast. 



A tree that looks at 



God all day 

 And lifts her leafy 



arms to pray; 



A tree may in summer 



wear 

 A nest of robins in her 



hair; 



Upon whose bosom 



snow has lain; 

 Who intimately lives 



with rain. 



Poems are made by 



fools like me, 

 But only God can make 



a tree. 



do not stop with a single tree or small groups 

 why not have memorial forests. 



FREDERICK G. GARDNER, Governor of Mo. 

 The planting of Victory Trees is a fitting means 

 of perpetuating the memory of our gallant men 

 who gave their lives that we and the nations 

 of Europe might enjoy the blessings of freedom 

 and liberty. 



F. W. BESLEY. State Forester, Md. I should 

 like to see, not only individual trees planted in 

 honor of those who have given their lives to the 

 liberty of the world, but I would like also to 

 see avenues of trees planted along some of our 

 important highways. 



H. M. DORSEY, Governor, Ga I am very 

 much in favor of the plan outlined in the com- 

 munication. 



JAMES WITHYCOMBE, Governor, Oregon I 

 assure you that I am heartily in sympathy with 

 this movement. 



SIMON BAMBERGER, Governor, Utah On the 

 whole I am very much in favor of such a plan 

 as you have outlined. 



GEORGE COUPLAND, Vice-Chairman, Neb. 

 State Council of Defense The Council of Defense 

 is heartily in favor of doing as you suggest in 

 the matter of memorial trees. 



SAMUEL W. McCALL, Governor of Mass. I 

 think your suggestion of planting memorial trees 

 in honor of our soldiers who died in the great 

 war an excellent one. 



RICHARD LIEBER. Indiana Board of For- 

 estry Governor Goodrich is very much in favor 

 of planting memorial trees. He suggests that 

 it might be possible to gain the co-operation of 

 each county in setting aside a well selected 

 plot for the purpose of maintaining a county 

 memorial park. 



GEORGE F. KUNZ, President. American 

 Scenic and Historic Preservation Society The 

 plan of the American Forestry Association to 

 plant memorial trees for the nation's dead sail- 

 ors and soldiers I believe an admirable one. 



TOM C. RYE, Governor of Tenn. I shall be 

 glad to co operate with the American Forestry 

 Association for getting memorial trees planted. 



J. E. BARTON, Commissioner of Forestry, Ky. 

 I am heartily in favor of the plan which you 

 suggest for the planting of memorial trees in 

 commemoration of our soldier dead. 



FRANK O. LOWDEN, Governor of 111. I am 

 heartily in sympathy to the general idea. 



FORREST H. COLBY, Forest Commissioner, 

 Maine I believe the plan of planting of memorial 

 trees for our soldier dead is a splendid one. 



J. A. A. BURNQUIST, Governor of Minn 

 Your proposal meets with my hearty approval. 

 The beautiful tree is always a fitting memorial. 



P. G. PLEASANT, Governor of La. No more 

 fitting memorial could be paid to our soldier dead 

 and living. We are planning 116,000 Victory 

 Oaks along the 440 mile route of the Jefferson 

 Highway in Louisiana. 



