A NATIONAL FOREST POLICY 



THE PROPOSED LEGISLATION 



BY HENRY S. GRAVES 



FORESTER, U. S. FOREST SERVICE 



THE NEED OF A NATIONAL FOREST POLICY TO PROVIDE FOR THE PERPETUATION OF OUR TIMBER SUPPLY IS 

 APPARENT TO FORESTERS, LUMBERMEN, TIMBERLAND OWNERS AND EVERYONE. WHAT THIS POLICY SHALL BE, HOW 

 IT SHALL AFFECT PRIVATELY OWNED TIMBER LANDS, NATIONAL, STATE OR MUNICIPAL HOLDINGS, AND HOW A POLICY 

 MAY BE ADOPTED AND ENFORCED, IS NOW THE SUBJECT FOR DISCUSSION. 



AMERICAN FORESTRY MAGAZINE OPENS ITS COLUMNS TO ARTICLES ON ANY AND ALL PHASES OF THIS IMPORTANT 

 TOPIC, AND OPINIONS ON THE SUBJECT WILL BE WELCOMED.— EDITOR. 



ANY program of forestry which is comprehensive 

 enough to anything like meet the needs of the 

 country must involve the practice of forestry on 

 privately owned timberlands. In my judgment this will 

 not be brought about merely by educational method?. 

 These have been tried for twenty years practically with- 

 out result. There must be some requirement on the part 

 of the public as to forest protection and as to forest 

 renewal. The requirement must be nearly as possible 

 equalized in all sections of the country and in all States 

 so that no section or State will be placed at disadvantage. 



The Forest Service has given considerable thought 

 recently to the principles which must underlie any efforts 

 toward the attainment of this desirable end. We have 

 reached the conclusion that a satisfactory measure of 

 success can be attained only through some plan of co- 

 operation between the States and the Federal Govern- 

 ment, with the States the active agents for carrying 

 the plan into effect and with the Federal Government 

 stimulating action and aiding the States. 



We have worked out some of the principles which it 

 seems to me should form the foundation of the system to 

 be built up through the necessary legislation by the Fed- 

 eral and State Governments. 



The principles of legislation requiring the practice of 

 forestry on private lands are briefly as follows : 



1. The first step should be a Federal act authorizing 

 the Secretary of Agriculture, in co-operation with any 

 State, to formulate plans for forest protection and for 

 the control of timber cutting within that State. Such 

 plans should become effective only after the State legis- 

 lature had passed appropriate legislation, including ade- 

 quate appropriation to co-operate with the Federal Gov- 

 ernment in putting them into effect. The Secretary of 

 Agriculture should also be authorized to accept plans for 

 protection or cutting which have been adopted by any 

 State. Section 2 of the Weeks Law dealing with co- 

 operative fire protection would therefore be superseded. 

 The act should carry an appropriation. 



2. Farm woodlands should be specifically exempted 

 from the provisions of the act, for the reason that pro- 

 tection and conservative cutting for this class of forest 

 can best be brought about through the education and 

 demonstration work authorized by the Smith-Lever Act. 

 The Secretary of Agriculture should be authorized, in 



co-operation with the State, to define farm woodlands 

 and distinguish between them and commercial timber- 

 lands. 



3. All commercial timberlands and all cut-over lands 

 on which a commercial forest (as distinguished from a 

 farm forest) could be grown should be subject to the 

 provisions of the act. But the Secretary of Agriculture, 

 with the approval of the State, should be authorized to 

 exempt any of such lands where it is demonstrated that 

 the surface of such lands is more valuable for other 

 purposes than for the production of timber and where 

 such lands are immediately to be used for the more 

 valuable purpose. 



4. Owners of timber should not be compensated 

 either by the State or by the United States for expenses 

 incurred in carrying out the provisions of the act where 

 only the renewal of the forest is concerned. But such 

 owners should be compensated either by the State or by 

 the United States (if by the latter, in the discretion of 

 the Secretary of Agriculture) in the following instances : 



(a) Where for protection of the watersheds or for 

 other protective purposes it is necessary that the timber 

 should remain standing. 



(b) Where as a reserve of timber for future supply it 

 is necessary that cutting should be deferred. 



(c) Where it is necessary to remove the timber in 

 order to prevent the spread of insect depredations or 

 injury from other causes. 



5. Every State accepting the provisions of the Fed- 

 eral act should itself have enacted legislation : 



(a) Which provides adequate fire laws with suitable 

 penalties for violation thereof ; and 



(b) Which not only prohibits the violation of such 

 rules and regulations as might be prescribed by the State 

 and the Secretary of Agriculture in respect to the cutting 

 of timber or the removal of any products thereof, and 

 provides a penalty for such violation, but prohibits the 

 shipment and sale of forest products manufactured from 

 timber cut or worked in violation of such rules and regu- 

 lations. 



(c) Which establishes an adequate administrative ma- 

 chine for making the laws effective, and appropriates 

 funds to meet the conditions of co-operation. 



6. Federal participation should be based upon the 

 precedent of co-operation with the States in policies of 



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