FORESTRY MOVEMENT IN UNITED STATES. 389 



after the commission had existed for 8 years, 

 barring the rational use and the application of any 

 forest management in the preserve in the follow- 

 ing language : — 



Article VII : "The lands of the State constitut- 

 ing the forest preserve now fixed by law shall be 

 forever kept as wild lands. They shall not be 

 leased, sold or exchanged, or be taken by any cor- 

 poration, pubhc or private, nor shall the timber 

 thereon be sold or removed or destroyed." 



This certainly forbids the practice of forestry 

 as explained in the chapter on " Silviculture," and 

 would seemingly exclude even the planting of waste 

 lands, although the commission during the present 

 year, stimulated by the example of the College of 

 Forestry, has set out a large number of trees on 

 such lands. Repeated efforts to remove this con- 

 stitutional bar to forestry practice on state lands 

 have been made, but the people have so far refused 

 to reconsider the injunction, partly because of mis- 

 trust of the commission's technical ability, partly 

 because of ignorance or misconception of what 

 forestry means, partly because of the influence of 

 wealthy property owners, who desire to keep these 

 woods in the wild condition for their pleasure ; and 

 there are perhaps good reasons why this economic 

 loss should be endured until more education in for- 

 estry matters is secured and the forest preserve in 

 its entirety is established and a comprehensive plan 

 can be formulated. 



