1 INTRODUCTION 



sequent appropriations have been for $100,000 an- 

 nually. Twenty-one States are cooperating with 

 the Forest Service in this way. 



By the passage of the Weeks Bill, Congress has 

 voiced the sentiment that the forest fire problem, 

 even on private land, is not only no longer a private 

 problem, is not even exclusively a state problem, 

 but a joint problem and duty to be borne by the 

 State and nation. Forest fires are now rightfully 

 looked upon as a public enemy rather than a pri- 

 vate menace. This is a big step in the right di- 

 rection, and it is hoped that this same principle 

 will be applied in the not too distant future to all 

 other matters dealing with private timber lands. 

 If the protection of these private timber lands is a 

 public and not a private problem, then certainly 

 their management for continuity is a public prob- 

 lem. A timber owner should not be allowed to cut 

 his timber without the consent of the Government, 

 and the Government should see to it that he leaves 

 the young growth as a basis for a future crop or 

 provides a new growth of timber by planting young 

 trees. 



