EDITORIAL 



The Growth of a Great Policy very small in comparison to the whole 



A MERICAN FORESTRY has from time * T f * the forests " . " we were to 



A to time during the last few months ] " d ^ from SOme of the complaints 



reported to its readers the changes that have come out of the We st and 



made, both by addition and subtraction, trom . some of the oratorical efforts of 



in the area of the national forests, certain western senators and represen- 



These changes, as has been explained, tatives we might suppose that a great 



are the result of the careful studies amount of fertile agricultural land was 



and surveys that began some time ago being kept from settlement and the pros- 



under Mr. Pinchot and have been car- perity of the West largely hampered 



ried out to their results since. thereby. 



Because of the prejudice and mis- Frankly, we do not believe this to be 

 representation that has been so care- the case. If all of the national forests 

 fully cultivated by some elements in the were to-day thrown open to settlement 

 national forest states it needs to be on the most liberal terms, we doubt if 

 borne clearly in mind that the boundary many hundred actual settlers would 

 changes indicate no change in the na- avail themselves of the opportunity, 

 tional forest policy but carry out what The mountain sides of the Rockies, the 

 was a part of the plan from the begin- Cascades, the Olympics and the Sierras, 

 ning a rectification of boundaries in where the forests chiefly lie, are not of 

 accordance with the results of careful great agricultural value, and the oppor- 

 surveys, a perfecting of a vast system, tunity so offered would be mainly 

 Necessarily these extensive and un- availed of by large operators intent 

 mapped areas in a wild and mainly upon gleaning some immediate profit 

 mountainous country had to be roughly from the national heritage, 

 blocked out in the first instance. Later, Against this the whole principle of 

 as an administrative force was devel- est conservation is directed. The idea 

 oped, came the opportunity to carefully of a national forest rests upon the great- 

 determine the character of the country est 'good of the greatest number, the 

 and the desirability of including addi- right of all the people to share in the 

 tional forest lands or watersheds, or ex- common property of all, and the per- 

 cluding certain lands not so useful for manent need of forests, especially in 

 forestry as for other purposes. mountain regions, as one of the chief 



Thus far about half as much land foundations of lasting national pros- 

 has been added to the national forests perity. That these principles are sound 

 as has been taken from them. Many no unprejudiced student of the world's 

 of the plans for the changes were made economic history will deny, no real pa- 

 prior to the change of administration t , not no true American, will wish to 

 of the Forest Service, and these and ad- *?&: J he development of our na- 

 ditional modifications along the same tlonal p fo ^ est system by Hough, Fer- 

 i- 1in i , ta . , now. Roth and Pinchot, under the wise 

 have been and are being earned counsd of Secretaries like Noble, Hitch- 

 put by the present Forester, Mr. Graves, cocki Morton and Wilsont throtu?h the 

 sympathy and accord with the administrations of Harrison, Cleveland, 

 policy of his predecessor, Mr. Pinchot. McKinley and Roosevelt, has been in 

 The areas involved in the changes are the direction of laying these founda- 

 considerable, taken by themselves, but tions broad and deep. "The present ad- 

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