THE FOREST CONFERENCE IN THE 

 WHITE MOUNTAINS 



The Grover Cleveland Memorial, Forest Taxation, State Forest Policy, 

 Federal Control of the Watersheds of Interstate Streams 



By PHILIP W, AYRES 

 Forester, Society Protection of New Hampshire Forests, and Dartmouth College Grant 



A VARIETY of interesting topics 

 was discussed at the Forest 

 Conference held at Bretton 

 Woods, N. H., August 3 to 6, under 

 the auspices of the Society for Pro- 

 tection of New Hampshire Forests. 

 These included forest taxation, the re- 

 forestation of denuded areas, the scope 

 of a state forest policy, forestry in the 

 public schools, the preservation of 

 water-power, and Federal control of 

 the headwaters of interstate streams. 

 In connection with the Conference there 

 occurred the eighth annual meeting of 

 the New Hampshire Society, a meeting 

 of- the directors of the American For- 

 estry Association, of the New Hamp- 

 shire State Forestry Commission, and 

 of the state foresters of the 

 northeastern states, Maine to Mary- 

 land. A notable group of friends of 

 the forest and experts in the care of 

 forests was present, including Mr. 

 George H. Maxwell, of Chicago, execu- 

 tive chairman of the National Irrigation 

 Association ; Mr. E. P.Whipple, of New 

 York, state commissioner of Forests, 

 Fish and Game ; Otto Luebkert, treas- 

 urer of the American Forestry Associa- 

 tion ; Mr. James H. Cutler, of Wash- 

 ington ; Austin F. Haines, state for- 

 ester in Vermont ; Alfred Gaskill, state 

 forester in New Jersey ; F. E. Besley, 

 state forester in Maryland ; E. C. Hirst, 

 state forester in New Hampshire ; C. E. 

 Pettis, state forester in New York, and 

 Asa F. Williams, forester of the Lidge- 

 wood Manufacturing Company. 

 608 



Ex-Gov. F. W. Rollins, of New 

 Hampshire, presided. Ex-Gov. Chester 

 A. Jordan was in attendance, as were 

 the forest commissioners of New 

 Hampshire, Robert P. Bass and W. 

 Robinson Brown. 



Dr. John H. Finley, president of the 

 College of the City of New York, pre- 

 sented a striking paper on the Grover 

 Cleveland Memorial Road in Tarn- 

 worth, N. H., a road laid out by Mr. 

 Cleveland. Mrs. Grover Cleveland was 

 present. Doctor Finley remarked that 

 to establish this memorial which goes 

 straight up the hill, with every element 

 of beauty large contributions are not 

 solicited, but a large number of small 

 ones will be welcome as a tribute to the 

 man whose work also went "straight up 

 the hill." By resolution of the Confer- 

 ence, friends of the forest movement 

 are invited to send contributions to 

 Doctor Finley. Mr. Cleveland estab- 

 lished the first National Forests. 



The proper taxation of forests, said 

 Mr. Allen Hollis, secretary of the New 

 Hampshire Society, is an important 

 element in forest preservation. If the 

 law of taxing all property equally is en- 

 forced, and the owner must pay on this 

 crop two per cent per annum taxes for 

 fifty years, no one can afford to hold 

 woodlands. Fortunately, in New 

 Hampshire, this provision of equality 

 is systematically violated by the assess- 

 ors, which makes it possible for wood- 

 lands to be held until maturity ; but 

 there are as many systems as assessors. 



