FOREST CONSERVATION AND AGRICULTURE 



BY THEODORE S. WOOLSEY, JR. 



[That there can be no sustained and permanently successful agriculture without for- 

 estry; that countries not possessing forests are decadent; tnat forests exercise a salutary 

 effect on the health of the people; as well as protect the water supply, affect the climate, and 

 prevent damage to crops, are some of the contentions in the following excellent article by 



Theodore S. VVoolsey, Jr. This article was prepared for presentation before the United 



States Agricultural Commission in London, England. Mr. Woolsey emphasized the fact 

 that he was expressing his personal views and was not speaking officially for the Forest 

 Service. EDITOR. ] 



WOULD it be going too far the work of modern competition? A 

 to say there can be no sus- famous Frenchman has stated that "this 

 tained and permanently sue- need of the beautiful is deep-rooted in 

 cessful agriculture without our very nature," yet forests not only 

 forestry? I think not. You will find give us pleasure, but in addition ex- 

 that those countries which have de- ercise a salutary effect in our health, 

 stroyed their forests and have not Examine the Landes in France, where 

 adopted a wise policy of forest manage- formerly the population was fever 

 ment, are those countries which today stricken, and where to-day through the 

 are decadent, and whose agricultural reforestation of maritime pine coupled 

 resources have suffered. with drainage, an unhealthy district has 

 Perhaps M. Clementel, the Minister been made healthy, and besides yields 

 of Agriculture of France, was a little a handsome revenue. I need not go 

 too pessimistic when, at the recent for- into details in calling your attention to 

 est congress, he recalled Colbert's the beneficial influence of forests on 

 prophecy that, "Not only France, but springs, in preventing hail and damage 

 the entire civilized world, will perish to crops from wind and storms, in fa- 

 through lack of wood," but it is certain, voring precipitation, in controlling ava- 

 as I have already emphasized, that lanches, and in tempering the general 

 every progressive country must prac- climate of a region. The French be- 

 tice forestry, and that "deboisement" lieve that forests have an unquestion- 

 and decadence go hand in hand. This able influence on local climate, although 

 is not a new idea, since according to some scientists look for further proof 

 Dr. Regnault such men as Leonardo da before accepting this theory without re- 

 Vinci, Bernard Palissy, Columbus, serve. So much for general forest in- 

 Seneca, and Pliny drew attention to the fluences. 

 disastrous effects which would follow 



deforestation. Look at Greece, at PROGRESS IN THE UNITED STATES. 



Assyria, at Palestine, and Arabia, to- The opinion that the United States 



day; possibly some members of this are backward in forestry is only too 



commission have seen the results of widespread. As a matter of fact, if I 



deforestation in the Austrian Karst, in may be permitted to say so, we have a 



Snain and in certain portions of the most efficient Forest Service, organized 



French Alps. Moreover it is pretty by Mr. Gifford Pinchot. and now di- 



generallv recognized that the influences rected by Mr. Henry S. Graves. A 



of a forest go further than merely cov- number of States have appointed States 



ering the soil, absorbing rainfall, and Foresters, and I see no reason why it 



protecting mountains from erosion. cannot be safely predicted, that after 



How closely is the health of a nation the next ten years we shall be at least 



linked with so-called national parks, abreast, and possibly ahead, of other 



which furnish breathing-spaces and va- great powers in many lines of forest 



cation grounds for men suffocated by work. But in order to accomplish what 



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