FORESTRY AND COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT. 31 







fixation of prices. Whether this would involve public control over 

 certain technical aspects of forest production would depend alto- 

 gether on the need for such action. If private owners, either indi- 

 vidually or collectively, prove incapable of practicing forestry, the 

 public, for its own protection, must take a hand in the business. 

 This would in all probability involve the participation of technical 

 foresters, employed by the public, in the preparation of detailed 

 forest working plans covering fire protection, methods of cutting, 

 amount of material to be removed each year, and similar matters. 



Public influence in the handling of the forest lands of the country 

 will also make itself felt through the extension of public ownership. 

 This is a logical and inevitable development. The public, whether 

 represented by the Federal or State Governments, is in many re- 

 spects in a much better position to practice forestry than the average 

 individual or corporation. It does not have to secure such a high 

 rate of interest on its investment, it is not under the same pressure 

 to secure the greatest possible returns immediately, it is not affected 

 by speculation, and, above all, it is concerned fully as much with 

 the future as with the present. The State exists primarily for the 

 purpose of promoting the development and increasing the well-being 

 of its entire population, both present and future. One of its main 

 functions is to provide for its own prosperous perpetuity. For- 

 estry, which necessarily looks to the future as well as to the present, 

 is a peculiarly appropriate function to be assumed by the Gov- 

 ernment. 



Considerable advance has already been made in this direction. In 

 1872, when the Yellowstone Park was established, the first step was 

 taken to retain public control over even a small portion of the 

 forested area of the country. The most important advance in this 

 direction came in 1891, when Congress authorized the President to 

 set aside forest reserves now called National Forests from the 

 unappropriated public domain. Since then a steadily increasing 

 amount of forest land has been brought under management for the 

 benefit of the public. To-day some 136,000,000 acres in the United 

 States proper are held by the Federal Government as National For- 

 ests, and some 3^ million acres by 13 different States as State forests. 

 With four-fifths of the timberland of the country still under private 

 ownership, however, there is no danger of moving in this direction 

 too rapidly. On the contrary, every effort should be made to increase 

 both Federal and State holdings whenever and wherever possible. 



Above all, title should be retained to all forest land now publicly 

 owned. New York, in 1883, passed legislation prohibiting the 

 further sale of land acquired through nonpayment of taxes. Since 

 1905 Pennsylvania has ceased to sell its public land for 26 cents an 



