AS OTHERS SEE US 



Translated from the Revue des Eaux et Forets, February 15, 1910 



THE recent dismissal of Mr. Gif- The "Forest Reserves/' from which 

 ford Pinchot from the Forest only dead timber could be cut, are now 

 Service of the United States De- National Forests, which already yield 

 partment of Agriculture makes timely nearly 400,000,000 board-feet of ma- 

 a reassuring word as to the high state ture as well as dead timber per year, the 

 of efficiency, stability, and encouraging cutting of which is done according to 

 prospects for the future which this able plans prepared by technically educated 

 man has contributed to the government men. The employment of such men has 

 work in forestry and to the science in led to the rapid growth of forest schools 

 general in America. A statement of from two, at the time of Mr .Pinchot's 

 the actual results accomplished during accession to office, to twelve at the 

 the eleven years of Mr. Pinchot's serv- present time. This, together with the 

 ice is a tribute to the ability of any man awakened interest of practically all the 

 under the best of conditions, but no eastern and some of the western states 

 adequate description can be given of in their own forest resources, has 

 the tremendous prejudices and diffi- brought forward the subject of con- 

 culties under which he worked and servation as a great national issue, 

 which his foresight and perseverance The United States embraces so va- 

 enabled him to conquer, nor of the tre- ried a range of climatic, topographic, 

 mendous revolution in popular thought, and forest conditions that scientific ex- 

 from reckless improvidence to conserv- periments performed upon them cannot 

 ative economy which his administration help but be of service to the cause of 

 has brought about. forestry almost throughout the north- 

 When Mr. Pinchot began his service ern ehemisphere. Hitherto, America 

 as Chief of the Division of Forestry, has come to Europe for her ideals, her 

 he was "a forester without a forest." examples, and to a large extent her 

 The government forest reserves, then methods of forest practice. Europe, on 

 comprising 42,000,000 acres, were prac- the other hand, has found in America 

 tically unmanaged. Land laws designed some of her most beautiful and promis- 

 to encourage settlement throughout ing timber species. The work of 

 the west made easy the fraudulent as Schwafbach and Mavr, among others, 

 well as the legitimate but wasteful ex- brings out the fact that European for- 

 ploitation of timber over great areas, esters already take no small interest in 

 while year after year fires ran through American species. With the establish- 

 the poorly protected reserves, not grad- ment of forest experiment stations 

 ually, but rapidly destroying their pro- brought about during Mr. Pinchot's 

 ductive value. The duties of the Divi- term in office, the time is without doubt 

 sion, later the Bureau of Forestry, were f i raw i ng nea r when the United States 

 purely advisory. Now, all this is can . to the wodd not onl ies 

 changed, even to the name of the bu- but also technical information, based on 

 reau. ^rom a small division of thirteen . , . ,.,. . -p, 

 men, not more than four of whom were thorough scientific experiment. The 

 technically trained foresters, the Forest initiation of experimental methods, per- 

 Service has become an administrative ^ps more than any other one feature, 

 force of over 2,000 men, with control illustrates the great advance during re- 

 over some 195,000.000 acres of land, cent years of forestry in America. 



364 



