14 OUR NATIONAL FORESTS 



of the Government before it was too late to save 

 what was left. 



The Act of March 3, 1891. The Division of For- 

 estry was designed by the nature of its duties to 

 be more than a bureau of information. The exist- 

 ence of a governmental department to promulgate 

 forestry principles while the Government itself had 

 made no provision to apply such principles to its 

 own permanent timberlands was an incongruity 

 that suggested further legislative action. This 

 was in part supplied by the law of March 3, 

 1891, which conferred upon the President the power 

 to establish Forest Reservations. The first exercise 

 of power under this act was the presidential procla- 

 mation creating the Yellowstone Park Timber 

 Land Reserve under President Harrison on March 

 30, 1891. This was probably the wisest step yet 

 taken in the development of a National Forest 

 policy ; but, unfortunately, the act left the Division 

 simply a bureau of information as it was before. 



AN ANOMALOUS CONDITION — FOREST EESERVES WITH- 

 OUT FOREST ADMINISTRATION 



The Need of Administration on the Reserves. 

 At first thought it wiU be seen that this piece of 



