CREATION AND ORGANIZATION 13 



to that date Congress had neither appropriated 

 enough money for efficient outdoor work nor did 

 she attempt to put any government woodlands un- 

 der the control of the Division. Therefore there 

 had been no management because there were no 

 forests to manage. This onei-sided development 

 of the forestry work of the Division was greatly 

 impeding a rational development of the forest con- 

 servation movement. 



The Need of a Forest Policy. The need for a 

 well-defined forest policy with respect to the gov- 

 ernment forest lands now began to be felt. Rail- 

 road land grants, the Homestead Act, Preemption 

 claims, and the Timber and Stone Act were taking 

 much valuable timberland out of goverrmient own- 

 ership. People secured claims under these acts 

 merely for the timber that was on them. The pur- 

 poses of the laws and acts of Congress were being 

 fraudulently evaded. Also the Government had 

 restrictive and protective laws in regard to its lands, 

 but it could not enforce them on account of lack 

 of appropriations with which to maintain an ad- 

 ministrative and protective organization. The time 

 was now ripe for an executive policy to manage 

 the woodlands that still remained in the possession 



