4i8 FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION. October, 



things the ownership of the government Hshes a forest reserve and neglects to 



is something real, based on human care make provision for the exploiting of the 



and labor. The proprietary rights of ripe timber on it, trespassers are simply 



the government in wild forests are mere invited to help themselves. They will 



abstractions. They will not become reason and most unsophisticated peo- 



real to the public conscience until the pie will agree with them that the gov- 



government does not simply wdthhold ernment is letting a valuable resource 



from the citizens what nature has freely go to waste, and that it is better for 



given to all, but expends on the forests them to take possession than let the 



such labor and care as will give it the timber rot on the ground, 



rights of a real owner. Forestal management of reserves will 



My proposition, then, is this : the in still other ways enable us to prevent 

 trespass problem on public lands will trespassing. One of the commonest 

 be solved as soon as the government excuses of trespassers when they are 

 enters on a definite policy of managing caught is that they did not know they 

 its forests according to forestal princi- were on the wrong side of the boundary 

 pies. Of course, I do not mean by this line. Now it is certainly possible for 

 that timber trespassers will thereupon such an error to be committed in good 

 at once reform and become good citi- faith. The blazes and other marks of 

 zens. Greed and dishonesty will still the government surveyor have become 

 need the strong arm of the law to curb indistinct in the course of time and often 

 them; but when everybody understands entirel}^ disappeared. One of the first 

 that the public forests are no longer things to be done by a forestal manage- 

 simply the gifts of nature, but that the ment of a state reserve should be an 

 money of the tax-payers is being used accurate demarcation of its boundary 

 to protect them against fire, to super- by the most conspicuous and permanent 

 intend lumbering operations, and to means practicable under the circum- 

 devise means of insuring their perma- stances. When that is done trespassers 

 nence, from that moment public senti- will no longer successfull}^ plead " that 

 ment will no longer wink at timber the}^ didn't know they were doing it." 

 thefts any more than at burglar}- in the Of course, I will hear at once about 

 post-office. Then it will be far easier the expense. The answer to that is 

 to enforce both criminal laws and civil once for all that all forestal manage- 

 regulations, that will make impossible ment of public land reserves requires 

 at least those wholesale depredations some initial expenditure, and no kind 

 which are now so common. of expense is a better investment than 



The very fact that public forests are a substantial marking of the boundary 



under forestal management, even if it line. The Indian forest administration 



be of the most primitive kind, implies has in the course of forty years set up 



that there are some people on the land such boundary marks on over 46,000,000 



whose business it is to prevent trespass- acres of protected forest, and found it 



ing. Every ranger and other forest to pay. In many cases in this country 



officer would as a matter of course guard a difficulty will be encountered from 



not only against fires but also against the presence of numerous small private 



thieves. Even the simplest kind of for- holdings scattered through the reserves, 



est management ought to imply also the Often it will be good policy to get title 



utilization of the ripe timber wherever to these holdings either by exchange 



possible. If it is not yet found expe- for lands outside the reserve or by out- 



dient for the state itself to do the fell- right purchase. On the other hand, it 



ing, there should be a system of licensing is by no means an unmixed evil to have 



by which private parties are allowed to a reasonable number of settlers living 



purchase standing timber, cut and re- within the reserve. It gives an oppor- 



move it under strict super^'ision by for- tunity for obtaining a resident supply 



est officials. Such a system has been of labor which may be trained for the 



successfully inaugurated in the federal work and become interested in it an 



forest reserves. Where a state estab- inestimable advantage in all forestal 



