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AMERICAN FORESTRY 



with the head of the department concerned. This ar- 

 rangement would make it possible for Congress to pay 

 each individual in the highest professional class in ac- 

 cordance with his ability and the responsibility imposed 

 upon him, irrespective of whether he happens to be in 

 administrative or investigative work. 



The salaries recommended for the various classes of 

 foresters are the same as those recommended for corre- 

 sponding classes in the other scientific and technical 

 services, such as the engineering service, biological 

 science service, and physical science service. Taking 

 these services as a whole, the average salaries recom- 

 mended represent an increase of about $1000 per year 

 for each individual in the group, or of some 40 per cent 



over the present average. This is the largest percentage 

 increase recommended for any group of employees out- 

 side of the teachers in the public schools of the District 

 of Columbia. 



As a necessary supplement to its recommendations re- 

 garding reclassification and compensation and in order 

 to secure and retain an efficient personnel, the Commis- 

 sion points out that it is absolutely essential that there 

 be consistent application of a wise employment policy pro- 

 viding for the scientific selecting and systematic training 

 of workers, the measurement of individual efficiency, the 

 advancement and promotion of the deserving, the elimi- 

 nation of the ineffiicent, and the retirement of the in- 

 capacitated. 



FOREST PROTECTION WEEK 



A CAMPAIGN to arouse public sentiment for the 

 better protection of forests against fire that became 

 nation-wide was started in the West and rapidly gained 

 headway, it is announced by the Forest Service of the 

 United States Department of Agriculture. The gov- 

 ernors of a number of western states issued proclama- 

 tions designating May 23-29 as "forest protection week," 

 and urged all citizens that they unite their best efforts to 

 prevent and suppress forest fires. In addition the move- 

 ment had the active support of churches, commercial 

 associations, rotary clubs, schools, fraternal societies, and 

 a number of other organizations. The object of forest 

 protection week was to bring forcibly home to the 

 public the need of care to prevent fires from starting, 

 and of energetic efforts to put out forest fires quickly, 

 if they do start. 



The new movement is unprecedented in this country 

 and will be of much importance in safeguarding the 

 Nation's forests and spreading the demand for their 



better protection, officials of the Forest Service state. 

 The West, they say, is now generally alive to the im- 

 portance of keeping fire out of the woods. This is partly 

 because of the great value of the present stand of timber, 

 but it is also because of growing recognition of the 

 importance of permanent forests and stable industries. 



A large proportion of the fires which have in recent 

 years caused the loss of hundreds of millions of feet of 

 timber in the West are man-caused and preventable. This 

 fact has stimulated a determination to cut down the 

 number of fires. In aggressive action the West has, on 

 the whole, decidedly taken the lead over the East where, 

 in many States, little effort is made to protect the forests 

 against fire. 



Proclamations calling for public observance of a week 

 were issued by the governors of Colorado, California, 

 Idaho, Oregon, Utah, Montana, Wyoming, South Dakota 

 and Washington. In New Mexico the governor pro- 

 claimed Arbor Day as fire protection day. 



A FOREST QUESTIONNAIRE 



THE Republican National Committee has sent out a 

 questionnaire, in which among others, opinions re- 

 garding conservation of our forests are asked in the 

 following manner. 



"Our most pressing conservation question relates to 

 our forests. Out of 850 million acres of virgin timber 

 we have but 150 million left. We have effectually ex- 

 hausted the timber lands of the Northeast and of the once 

 magnificent forest states of Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, 

 Michigan and Minnesota. About ten years will see the 

 Southeast, which has been our greatest producer of 

 saw timber for years, out of the running as a serious 

 competitor in the lumber markets. Already much of 

 the timber for the thickly populated East and Middle 

 West comes from beyond the Rocky Mountains. 



"Ninety-seven per cent of our lumber is cut from pri- 

 vately owned land. Private owners of commercial tim- 

 ber land regularly ignore conservation principles, and 

 have thereby reduced more than 100 million acres capa- 



ble of growing timber to desolate, unproductive wastes, 

 barren of trees, and worthless for any other purpose. 

 They neither cut so as to insure reproduction, nor will 

 they assist nature by preventing forest fires on cut-over 

 lands. This does not refer to the owners of farm wood 

 lots. We cut annually 100 billion feet of wood. We 

 grow now only 35 billion feet. At this rate we shall 

 exhaust the forests of the Pacific Slope, our one consid- 

 erable remaining supply, soon, and with certainty. It 

 may be they will last 40 years ; it may be 75 years. When 

 the pinch comes, neither wood substitutes nor foreign 

 supplies can relieve the scarcitv at home. Only wise and 

 vigorous conservation measures can prevent a grave tim- 

 ber famine the beginnings of which are already felt. 



"The practice of conservation in lumbering, coupled 

 with the prevention of forest fires, will mitigate the com- 

 ing shortage materially and hasten its cure. The grow- 

 ing of timber on all land in the United States chiefly val- 

 uable for that purpose would in time bring the annual 



