Be that as it may, after centuries of alternate care and 

 neglect ranging from severe enactments by the Normans 

 intended to preserve the forests as hunting places for royalty, 

 down to the eighteenth century forestry boom, caused by the 

 demand for timber for ship-building, and its subsequent de- 

 flation when wooden ships became obsolete Great Britain 

 was never so deeply concerned nor so active as just now in 

 forest promotion. The government is endeavouring by every 

 possible means to restore the United Kingdom as nearly as 

 possible to a self-supporting forestry basis. That this, will 

 take many years to accomplish if, indeed, it can be brought 

 about at all, is apparently no deterrent. Britons are accus- 

 tomed to a long look ahead. And in any event an active start 

 has already been made to bring about the desired result. 



The Forestry Commission of Great Britain, of which Lord 

 Lovat is the head, and which was brought into being by an 

 Act of Parliament passed in 1919, as a direct result of the 

 enormous inroads made into Britain's standing timber during 

 the war, has made much headway during its brief existence 

 and now has an extensive forestry program well organized. 



A preliminary grant of 3,500,000 pounds sterling was 

 voted by Parliament for the purposes of the Commission. 

 This sum is intended to cover a ten year period. The program 

 to which it is to be applied includes the afforestation of 150,000 

 acres of new land by direct action of the State; assistance to 

 local authorities and private owners for the afforestation or 

 re-afforestation of 110,000 additional acres; the purchase and 

 reconstruction of hardwood areas; the education of forest 

 officers, landowners and land agents, working foresters, and 

 foremen; research and experiment, and the encouragement 

 of forest industries. 



The Commission has added to this program the work of 

 obtaining a survey of the entire woodlands resources of Great 

 Britain in which they have enlisted the assistance of private 

 organizations and individuals and which is to be completed 

 within three years. This survey which is estimated to cost 

 80,000 pounds sterling, is expected to give essential facts and 

 figures with a sufficient degree of accuracy as to enable Par- 

 liament to come to a decision as to the country's permanent 

 forest policy, when, it is anticipated, a still more generous 

 financial arrangement will be made for carrying on the work. 



