NEW ENGLAND'S FEDERAL FOREST 



RESERVE 



By Philip W. Ayres 



^ [The American Forestry Association, with a number of influential organizations in New 

 England and the Southern Appalachians cooperating, will earnestly advocate the passage 

 by Congress of a bill providing an appropriation, under the Weeks Law, of $10,000,000 to continue 

 the purchase of Federal Forest Reserves in New England and the Southern Appalachians. Dele- 

 gates representing the associations will confer with Secretary of Agriculture Houston on the 

 subject in Washington on Wednesday September 22 at 10 a. m. Editor's Note.] 



THE Weeks Act, for the purchase It is not difficult to see the end of this 

 of forest land at the head waters process. The timber scarcity is already 

 of navigable streams, is one of evident in the increased prices of every- 

 the great measures in the coun- thing made of wood. A house, a wagon, 

 try's history. It is like the irrigation or even a rolling pin, costs twice as 

 act that is making fertile fields from much as a few years ago. The need for 

 the desert land, or the Smith-Lever Act action on a large scale is fully apparent, 

 that brings agricultural instruction to The Weeks Act, signed by President 

 the farmer's door, or the Morrill Act Taft in March, 1911, carried an appro- 

 that fifty years ago established the priation of $11,000,000, of which only 

 State Universities. This measure if $8,000,000 became available. Three- 

 adequately carried out will in large million dollars of this appropriation 

 measure safeguard the navigable stream have never been taken from the Federal 

 from disastrous erosion and provide a Treasury. The reason for this is that 

 timber supply to replace our vanishing by the terms of the measure itself three 

 material for houses, furniture, tools, separate departments of Government 

 etc. It accomplishes this through the must exercise supervision over each 

 purchase of forest lands by the purchase, and before any tract is 

 Federal Government. General in its finally taken it must be approved by 

 terms, it applies to all parts of the the National Forest Reservation Corn- 

 country, but is limited in action to mission. Before these several depart- 

 those States that pass enabling acts ments could be coordinated into a 

 inviting the Federal Government to working force and the new board organ- 

 acquire land within their boundaries, ized, the time specified for the use of 

 Maine and New Hampshire at the North, the first part of the appropriation had 

 and eight States at the South have gone by. Indeed, the time for using 

 enacted the necessary laws. the first million dollars expired before 

 Because the West is fairly well supplied the measure had gone through all of the 

 with National Forests, the officers of weary acid tests of Congressional com- 

 the Government have applied the first mittee opposition. Meantime plans had 

 appropriation under the Weeks Act been made for the larger expenditure, 

 exclusively to the eastern or Appala- which plans now awaii ;the further action 

 chian Mountains. The wisdom of this of Congress. 



decision becomes apparent when it is By the terms of the Act the appro- 

 realized how great are the timber re- priation covered a period of five years, 

 resources of the West and how depleted and terminated by limitation on June 

 are those of the East. 30, 1915. This was an experiment. 

 Population is increasing at an un- It has been worked out successfully, 

 precedented rate. One million new Shall it be renewed? To carry out its 

 souls are added to our country every beneficent purpose the operation of the 

 twelve months. Our timber resources, law should be made continuous, until 

 taking the country as a whole, are con- the great body of wild mountain land 

 sumed far more rapidly than they grow, throughout the country has been placed 



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