184 OUR VANISHING FORESTS 



industry, as to the problems of taxation and the 

 details of forest administration, our legislature 

 simply lacks united support and therefore does not 

 know how to proceed. One school of foresters says 

 "Do this," another "Do that." Unanimous in their 

 desire for forest conservation and extension, our 

 experts cannot agree on any program covering the 

 means to be employed. While they dispute, forest 

 destruction continues. 



Forest policy or no forest policy you and I must 

 have wood. We do not necessarily have to choose 

 blindly between warring factions. We must learn 

 enough of the fundamental facts to demand an 

 effective compromise. No one now disagrees upon 

 the matter of the fire hazard; fire protection is a 

 policy in itself. No one now disagrees as to such 

 extension of our National and State Forests as is 

 clearly practicable. No one disagrees as to the 

 general policy of encouraging corporations, towns 

 and private individuals to plant trees. Is your own 

 state taking action along these lines? Are you so 

 whole-heartedly in favor of the movement, that you 

 are willing to assume your share of the responsibil- 

 ity and your share of the cost? 



There are 245 million acres of cut-over forest 

 land widely distributed in many eastern and south- 

 ern states. Most of this is still sparsely timbered. 



