56 The Canadian Forestry Journal. 



is to induce private owners, to the number of three millions, to 

 take care of what they have, and to teach woodusers how not 

 to waste. Forest fires must be stopped; by careful logging and 

 other methods, waste must be reduced and cut-over lands left 

 productive; by preservative treatment, the timber logged must 

 be made to go further; needless waste in the mill, the factory 

 and in use must be avoided. The lands, now treeless, which 

 will be most useful under forests, must be planted up; taxes 

 must be so adjusted that cut-over lands can be held for a second 

 timber crop, and the fact must be recognized that timber costs 

 no less to grow than to log and saw. The nation and the 

 individual states must continue and perfect the preservation 

 by wise use of the forests already publicly owned, and the same 

 treatment must be extended to other mountain forests more 

 valuable for the permanent benefit of the many than for the 

 profit of the few. 



The above is a summary, taken largely from "Conserva- 

 tion's" excellent account, of the report of the Section on Forests 

 of the National Conservation Commission, given at the Conser- 

 vation Conference which convened in Washington, D.C., on 

 December 9th and 10th last. 



The session of Thursday morning, December 10th, was 

 devoted to the consideration of forest preservation. The chief 

 speakers of the morning were Senator Reed Smoot, of Utah, 

 Chairman of the section; Hon. W. C. Edwards, who represented 

 the Canadian Government; Mr. Andrew Carnegie and State 

 Forest Commissioner Whipple, of New York State. 



Senator Smoot, after referring to the very complete report 

 that had been presented, spoke of three great conclusions which 

 sprang from the commission's report: first, the forest problem 

 before the nation, the state and the individual was grave and 

 urgent; second, they could solve this problem if they would act 

 ilnitedly, vigorously and immediately; third, if they failed to 

 act, the possibility of a satisfactory solution would be rendered 

 doubtful, or even wholly removed. No nation had a more 

 wholesome and enthusiastic sentiment for the right use of the 

 forests than had the people of the United States, but no nation 

 took poorer care of its private forests than they. The time 

 had passed when the preservation of the forests was merely 

 a debt the}' owed posterity. For their own immediate welfare 

 the conservation of the forests, public and private, was ab- 

 solutel}^ essential and imperative for their industrial and com- 

 mercial welfare. 



Hon. Mr. Smoot then went over, with suitable comment and 

 illustration, a number of the points of the report and went on to 

 speak of some action that must be taken. Private owners must 

 have impressed upon them the need of practicing reasonable 

 economy in the woods, in logging, in milling and in the use of 



