THE XA TIOXA L FO R EST R EsElt 1 7;.S' 1 85 



If we admit that .something shouhl he done to seeure the per- 

 petuity of tlie great jtuldic forests, the (juery at onee arises as to 

 what it should l)e and how we sliould go ahout it. The most 

 direct Avay would undouhtedly he to at once reserve all forest 

 lands, have them surveyed and examined, appoint suitahle men 

 to take charge of them, to protect them from lire, to designate 

 trees that may be cut, and to attend to the details of the utiliza- 

 tion and preservation of the tree growth. A system of this kind 

 once fiiirly under way would unquestionably be n)ore than self- 

 sustaining and would bring to the government a consideraljle 

 and constantly increasing income, besides furnishing a per|)etual 

 supi)ly of timber, protecting the sources of water, and adding U* 

 the natural attractions which draw tourists to remote ])arts of 

 the country. But such a step involves many radical changes. 

 The people as a whole are not educated up to it. Those in the 

 West are afraid of interference in local concerns, and those of the 

 East are fearful lest large expenditures should be incurred. As a 

 com[iromise, therefore, the friends of forestry have i)r()posed that, 

 instead of taking all the forests, certain specified s|)ots should be 

 designated, and that these should l)e reserved for forestry pur- 

 poses in the hojie tliat later some provision might l)e made for 

 carr3'ing out a system outlined above, and that the system, if it 

 proved eflicient, might be extended gradually further and fur- 

 ther. Accordingly many bills have been introduced into Con- 

 gress, but have all failed from one cause or another. At length, 

 after many failures, a clause was inserted in "An act to repeal 

 timber-culture laws, and for other purposes," approved March ■"», 

 1891, providing, " That the President of the United States may 

 from time to time set apart and reserve in any state or territory 

 having public land bearing forests, in any part of the public lands, 

 wholly or in part covered with timber or undergrowth, whether 

 of commercial value or not, as public reservations, and the Presi- 

 dent shall, by puldic proclamation, declare the establishment of 

 such reservations and the limits thereof." 



The then Secretary of the Interior, the Hon. John W. Xol>]i-. 

 took great personal interest in this matter of forest reservation, 

 and tiirough his active assistance the friends of the forestry 

 movement were able to secure the proclamation l)y Prej;ident 

 Harrison of fifteen reservations, having an aggregate area of over 

 thirteen million acres. They then renewed tlu-ir ellbrts to .secure 

 suitil)le legislation ami energetically supported the attemjtts 

 made to pass laws allowing the reservations to be protected and 



