80 Our Field and Forest Trees 



are in the West. They surround the river-heads 

 of the Coast Range, or lie along the " Great 

 Divide " where the waters which flow toward 

 the Mississippi basin part from the waters which 

 turn toward the Pacific. These forests protect 

 the rivers west of the Mississippi. 



Now, we feel that the nation must also protect 

 the Appalachian forest, which shelters the infancy 

 of eastern rivers. The " Weeks law," passed by 

 Congress in 191 1, created a "National Forest 

 Reservation Commission," whose members are the 

 Secretary of War, the Secretary of Agriculture, 

 the Secretary of the Interior, and two members 

 of the House of Representatives, to be selected 

 by the Speaker. 



The Secretary of Agriculture is to examine 

 lands on the watersheds of navigable streams, and 

 to recommend to the Commission, for purchase, 

 such lands as, in his judgment, must remain forest 

 clad if the streams are to remain full. 



Before the nation buys such lands, however, 

 the Reservation Commission must approve of the 

 purchase, and so must the legislature of the state 

 wherein the proposed national forest lies. 



Also, before a tract is purchased it is examined 

 by men of the Forest Service. They carefully 

 estimate the value of the standing timber. They 

 also examine the soil, to find out whether it is 

 fitter for timber than for other crops, and they 

 observe the " lay of the land " to see how the 



