1902. 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION. 



29 



Southern Appalachian Mountains by 

 proposing to remit from taxation and 

 to cede to the Federal Government ju- 

 risdiction over such lands as may be 

 purchased for this purpose ; and 



Whereas this Association has here- 

 tofore approved the efforts to create 

 such a park, 



Be it resolved, That we earnestly sup- 

 port the present movement in Congress 

 to obtain an appropriation to purchase 

 the lands necessary for the creation of 

 the National Appalachian Park or For- 

 est Reserve. 



4. Whereas in the State of Ne- 

 braska there are public lands to the 

 extent of about 10,000,000 acres, con- 

 sisting of sand hills, which are more fit 

 for tree growth than for other purposes ; 

 and 



Whereas experiments by the De- 

 partment of Agriculture, instituted in 

 1890, have proved the adaptation of this 

 region for tree growth, especially of 

 coniferous kinds ; and 



Whereas it appears that public 

 sentiment and the officers of the state 

 are in sympathy with the policy of de- 

 voting these lands to timber growth, 



Be it resolved, That this Association 

 favors the setting aside of a resen-ation 

 of 500,000 acres, to be devoted to forest 

 purposes in this area. 



After a few verbal changes, the reso- 

 lutions were adopted. 



Mr. George P. Whittlesey submitted 

 the report of the Nominating Commit- 

 tee, recommending the reelection of all 

 the old officers, excepting some five or 

 six changes in the list of vice-presidents. 



On motion, the Secretary was in- 

 structed to cast the ballot for the nom- 

 inees reported by the Nominating Com- 

 mittee ; which being done, they were 

 declared elected. 



Mr. Elihu Stewart invited the Asso- 

 ciation to join in the meeting of the 

 Canadian Forestry Association, on the 

 second Thursday in March, 1902, at 

 Ottawa. 



The meeting then adjourned. 



In the evening a large number of the 

 members were very delightfully enter- 

 tained by Mr. Pinchot at his home on 

 Rhode Island avenue. 



n. Report of the Board of Directoir. 



A Notable The past year has been 



Year of the most notable one in 



Forestry. the history of forestry 



in this country. A re- 

 markable increase of interest in the sub- 

 ject is shown by the people, and, as 

 President Roosevelt says in his first 

 message, "public opinion throughout 

 the United States has moved steadily 

 toward a just appreciation of the value 

 of our forests." 



The year has witnessed great activity 

 in local, state, and federal circles. State 

 legislatures have passed laws to en- 

 courage forest preser\'ation, several 

 have created Departments of P'orestry, 

 new state forest associations have been 

 organized, and old organizations con- 

 tinue active. 



A mere recital of the important events 

 during the past two months will show 

 the present strong tendency of forestry. 

 Two months ago a prominent lumber 

 company asked the assistance of the 

 Bureau of Forestry in the handling of 

 a million acres of timber land. This 

 act meets the approval of lumber in- 

 terests on all sides. The Secretary of 

 the Interior recommends that the ad- 

 ministration of the forest reserves be 

 transferred to the Department of Agri- 

 culture, in order that they may be under 

 the direction of trained foresters. The 

 President makes the same reconunenda- 

 tion in his message to Congress, and in- 

 sists that ' ' the preservation of our for- 

 ests is an imperative business necessity ; ' ' 

 and, further, that " the forest and water 

 problems are perhaps the most vital of 

 the internal questions of the United 

 States." 



Another striking incident is the bring- 

 ing together by a great railroad com- 

 panv of more than two hundred of its 

 leading officials to hear lectures on for- 

 estry. Finally a bill is introduced in 

 Congress which would appropriate $10,- 

 000,000 for the purcha.se of 4,000,000 

 acres of forest lands to establish a forest 

 reser\'e in the Southern Appalachian 

 Mountains. The people have come to 

 realize that forestry is economically 

 sound, and that one of the imperative 

 duties of the nation is, in the language 



