FORESTRY CONFERENCE AT VANCOUVER 



IN describing various movements to- cess was by no means due wholly, or 



ward securing better forestry con- even chiefly, to weather conditions, 



ditions, chiefly of improved protec- Representative private and official pro- 



tion against forest fires, E. T. Allen, tective agencies throughout the Pacific 



forester of the Western Forestry and Northwest States were asked to submit 



Conservation Association, said at its a comparison of this season's hazard 



annual meeting held in December at with that of other seasons. While there 



Vancouver, B. C. : is some local variation in such compari- 



"The National Conservation Con- son, the consensus is that while 1913 



gress, a yearly gathering of prominent hazard did not tax 1913 facilities over- 



and influential people which has possi- hard, this was because facilities were 



bilities of much power, good or bad, has improved. The season itself was of av- 



in the past offered us some opportunity erage difficulty. Montana reports it 'as 



but not as much as we wished. This great or greater than usual' ; Idaho 'av- 



year, through co-operation suggested by erage, excepting the unusually dry sea- 



us last fall to its officials and the Ameri- sons of 1905 and 1910.' Washington, 



can Forestry Association, it not only 'not as bad as 1902 and 1910, or quite so 



gave forest economics a large share of bad as 1911, but worse than 1912 and 



its main program but also provided for averaging with other past years' ; Ore- 



a separate sectional meeting on forestry gon, 'about an average year, taking all 



and lumbering which was a tremendous together.' ' 



success. Ten expert committees were President A. L. Flewelling, in an in- 

 appointed last spring to bring in reports cisive address and speaking from the 

 on forest legislation, taxation, fire meth- viewpoint of a practical man, said con- 

 ods, utilization and like practical sub- siclerable of particular interest to for- 

 jects and $5,000 was contributed by the esters: 



American Forestry Association to give "The subject of forestry in the last 

 them publicity. We were invited to di- decade has engrossed the public mind 

 rect much of this work. The result more than any other of the live issues 

 was not only to get for the first time discussed. It has been heralded from 

 a broad practical treatment of all these the pulpit, the rostrum and through the 

 subjects before the public in a form be- public press of all civilized countries, 

 yond suspicion of selfish interest, and and the thought that in time the world 

 with western conditions fully consid- would be denuded of its forests and 

 ered, but also to cement an alliance with verdure, with all the dire calamities 

 all workers along these lines in the which would logically follow, has been 

 country so as to keep up such co-opera- scattered broadcast by impassioned ut- 

 tion hereafter in short, our associa- terance and scarehead articles until the 

 tion now has national as well as western public mind has almost reached a con- 

 influence, dition of panic. A class of hysterical 

 Mr. Allen went on to tell of the work people have been handling the subject, 

 of his association by saying: "We have who never owned any trees or ever 

 at last arrived at a point where our or- looked a payroll in the face all good 

 gani/atimi affords absolute fire protec- people according to their lights, but 

 tion in the normal season. To put it more often insane than sane in their 

 another way, we can practically insure statement of facts and conclusions of 

 our timber for the normal year at the results. They have so wrought upon 

 present price of supporting the organ- the public mind that the subject has 

 ization we have developed. For sue- become chaotic, and it has become nec- 



4 



