CREATION AND ORGANIZATION 19 



this late date the Division had practically nothing to 

 say about the scientific forestry methods which 

 should be used on the Reservations. 



The Bureau of Forestry. In 1901 the Division 

 of Forestry was raised to the rank of a Bureau, but 

 this was a change in name only and carried with 

 it no change in the handling of the Government's 

 vast forest resources. 



THE CONSOLIDATION OF THE FORESTRY WORK IN 

 THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE IN 1905 



The Act of February 1, 1905. The necessity of 

 consolidating the various branches of government 

 forest work became apparent and was urged upon 

 Congress by President Roosevelt and by the execu- 

 tive officers concerned. This was finally accom- 

 plished by the act of February 1, 1905, by which 

 entire jurisdiction over the Forest Reserves was 

 transferred to the Secretary of Agriculture. Mat- 

 ters of surveying and passage of title, however, 

 were still kept under the jurisdiction of the Gen- 

 eral Land Office. By this act the Division of For- 

 estry for the first time in its career became an ad- 

 ministrative organization. On July 1 of the same 

 year the Bureau of Forestry became the Forest 



