2 OUR NATIONAL FORESTS 



root and flourish. Forest conservation had no 

 place in the household economy of nations that had 

 forests in superabundance. Their forests were 

 used with prodigality. It seems to be a great 

 human failing to use natural resources lavishly 

 when the supply is apparently unlimited, and to 

 practice frugality only when the end of a resource 

 is in sight. Thus we find in the pages of forestry 

 history that all nations have begun to husband their 

 forest resources only after having felt the pinch of 

 want. In our country history repeats itself and 

 our federal policy of forest conservation properly 

 begins at the time that the national conscience was 

 awakened to the realization that if we did not prac- 

 tice economy with our forest resources we would 

 some day be without an adequate supply of timber 

 and forage, and be confronted with other dangers 

 and calamities that follow the destruction of forests. 

 The March of Forest Destruction. When the 

 London Company settled at Jamestown, Virginia, 

 in 1607 it found that unlimited pine and hard- 

 wood forests confronted it on every side. Nor did 

 these early settlers ever find a way out of this for- 

 ested wilderness except by clearings made with the 

 ax. When the Pilgrim Fathers landed at Cape 



