ILLINOIS AUDUBON SOCIETY 3T 



Forestry Legislation 



A conference of state forestry officials was held at Atlantic City, No- 

 vember 12th to 13th, 1920, for the purpose of considering the question 

 of National Forestry Legislation and was attended by officials from six- 

 teen of the thirty-four state forestry departments. Colonel Greeley and 

 two others represented the Forest Service. 



At this meeting a resolution was passed fully endorsing the recommenda- 

 tion of the U. S. Forest Service relating to cooperation with states in fire 

 protection and forest renewal, as embodied in the report on Senate resolu- 

 tion No. 311, known as the "Capper Report." A brief summary of the 

 Capper Report called "Timber Depletion and the Answer" may be ob- 

 tained free by writing the U. S. Forest Service or the longer report can 

 be obtained for 25 cents in coin from the Superintendent of Documents, 

 Washington, D. C. 



These officials further urged upon Congress the enactment of the legis- 

 lation necessary to make those recommendations effective, accompanied by 

 suitable annual appropriations, which for the fiscal year ending June 30th, 

 1922 should be not less than one million dollars, this to be expended by 

 the Secretary of Agriculture in cooperation with the several states for 

 forest fire prevention and control, forest investigation, and timber pro- 

 duction including forest planting. 



Colonel Greeley's opinion is that about 75% of the difficulty in keeping 

 timber crops productive can be solved by efficient fire protection, so that 

 for the first few years this part of the program will be stressed. States 

 which can show that their fire protection is efficient can receive a certain 

 per cent of Federal funds, just as some of the states receive co-operation in 

 agricultural education under the Smith-Lever Act. Those states where 

 fire production is not important, receive Federal Aid for the establish- 

 ment and maintenance of State Nurseries for distributing planting stock 

 at cost. The passage of such an appropriation bill would give many of 

 the states substantial aid in perfecting and carrying out their forestry 

 programs. Most states will ask their legislatures this winter for in- 

 creased appropriations for fire protection. • About $250,000 is available 

 under the Weeks bill now for co-operation in fire protection but with 

 many states co-operating the sums received by each are not large enough 

 and the bill limits expenditures in the state to the protection of water- 

 sheds of navigable streams. 



Another important forestry meeting was held at Harrisburg, Pa., 

 Dec. 8 and 9 under the auspices of the Pennsylvania Forestry Commission, 

 this meeting being called by Gifford Pinchot, Forestry Commissioner for 

 that state. With the various organizations now seeking extension in 

 forestry, such as the American Pulp and Paper Association, which met in 

 Chicago Nov. 12 and 13, the Council of Non-Using Industries, the Na- 

 tional Lumber Manufacturers Association and the Society of Amercan 

 Foresters, it is believed that the next few months will see something of 

 very great importance done. The Forest Sendee, if given more funds, is 

 willing to co-operate in studies of land classification, forest taxation, legis- 

 lation, and other problems which have been giving difficulty to state 

 foresters for years. 



