American Forest Congress 397 



This department has charge of land purchases under 

 advice of the States Forest Reservation Commission, 

 and of care of the land when purchased. It has since 

 the commencement of the movement in Pennsylvania 

 been our policy to move forward no more rapidly than 

 public sentiment demanded, though an earnest effort 

 was always made to create such sentiment, when it 

 was lacking, but needed. It may be safely said that 

 up to this time no legislature has ever denied what the 

 forest officials of the State suggested, nor have we 

 ever had a governor who failed most cordially and 

 fully to support the forest movement since it took its 

 present direction. 



We recognize that land must be cared for it if is 

 purchased ; though we have not as yet placed care- 

 takers over any considerable part of the State's 

 recently acquired possessions. The principal reason 

 for this has been that we did not desire to involve 

 expenditure of public funds until the people them- 

 selves demanded it. This time seems to have arrived 

 and the legislature will be asked this session to grant 

 full, explicit authority for such action. 



Thus far almost no land has been purchased in the 

 regions which drain in the Ohio. The reason for this 

 is that a large part of this area contains valuable 

 mineral deposits, and could not be purchased without 

 allowing the owners to retain their rights to the min- 

 erals. This difficulty did not exist in the districts 

 which are drained by the Susquehanna, or the Dela- 

 ware, because there the mineral belts were not of the 

 kind we desired to secure for forest purposes at present. 

 If, however, we had allowed retention of mineral 

 rights by the present owners in the one district it 

 would have been necessary to do so in the others. 

 The Forestry Commission of Pennsylvania is now 



