288 UNITED STATES FOREST POLICY 



Twenty years ago, the average man in the United States, even the 

 average educated man, had absolutely no idea as to what forestry 

 meant. The average man looked upon forestry, as a prominent forest 

 official once said, as "something in the nature of a frill for rich men 

 embellishing their estates, or a combination of tree planting- and the 

 'Woodman, spare that tree' idea." Pinchot, and others with him, saw 

 the need for education of the public, saw the desirability of utilizing 

 the press of the country as a means of disseminating information. It 

 was one of Pinchot's virtues that he was a good advertiser, for if he 

 had not been he never could have accomplished all that he did. Nat- 

 urally some of the material published has tended to "boom" the 

 national forests, and that has brought criticism.^" 



The Forest Service has tried to diffuse information in various ways : 

 by advice to individuals, given on the ground, or by correspondence ; 

 by the preparation and distribution of publications ; by public ad- 

 dresses; by the loan and sale of lantern slides, pictures, and other 

 material for the use of lecturers, writers, and others ; by cooperation 

 with teachers, public school officials, and others connected with educa- 

 tional work; by exhibits at expositions; and by the preparation of 

 official information concerning forestry, in brief typewritten or 

 mimeographed statements, which are given to the newspapers for 

 publication. 



The Forest Service could doubtless make the reserves pay their own 

 way, if such a policy seemed wise. If the Service were to increase the 

 grazing fees sufficiently, make a special effort to sell a larger amount 

 of standing timber, and cut out, or greatly reduce, the amount ex- 

 pended for permanent improvement, investigative work, etc., it could 

 doubtless make the reserves pay a net profit to the government ; but 

 the Forest Service has wisely declined to adopt any such course. 

 Probably the grazing fees should be generally increased, but any 

 decrease in expenditures for permanent improvements would be short- 

 sighted economy. Perhaps most of what is spent on the forests each 

 year should be regarded as an investment. This applies not only to 

 expenditures for road and trail construction but likewise to fire 

 protection.^^ 



J-o Reports, Sec. of Agr., 1907, 347; 1908, 438 et seq.; 1909, 407 et seq.; 1916, 190. 

 11 Am. Forestry, May, 1917, 305: Am. Lumberman, May 27, 1916, 58. 



