PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE OF FOREST ECONOMICS 

 By E. T. AtLSN, Forester for Western Forestry and Conservation Association. 



DID you ever go into any project requiring your money and effort, together 

 with considerable responsibility, without really understanding it? I 

 suppose every one of us has. Most of us have invested hard-earned 

 money in some enterprise because we couldn't find a single flaw in the argument 

 of the promoter and consequently didn't have strength of mind to resist. We 

 didn't really want to invest, even if it were a good thing. We hadn't the 

 money to spare or, even if we had, we knew some other business better and 

 would feel safer in it. We succumbed to persuasion and logic just because 

 we were off our own ground and couldn't escape decently, but our hearts weren't 

 in it. And however good that project was, it didn't succeed as well as it would 

 have if we had understood it, known it good because we did understand, followed 

 every development with intelligent interest, and put our money and enthusiasm 

 behind it every minute accordingly. 



Maybe we never actually distrusted the promoter, but we watched affairs 

 mighty ready to criticise or sell out. We could even fail like martyrs if neces- 

 sary, but we didn't help as though our honor and judgment were at stake. 



Now that's just what is wrong with forestry in America. We have propa- 

 gandists with a perfectly irrefutable assertion that forest preservation is a good 

 investment. The public either says "too busy today," and while not denying does 

 nothing, or it says "here's your law (or appropriation or whatever is asked for) ; 

 now make good and save the forests." But it dosen't know the business factors 

 that govern the enterprise and cannot criticise or help intelligently. Sometimes 

 the propagandist doesn't know either and forest preservation, unfortunately, 

 cannot be conducted wholly by a business manager or board of directors. It is 

 mutual co-operative enterprise, requiring daily participation and ratification by 

 all concerned. There must be an American forest policy which exists, not be- 

 cause a few of us say it should, but because a majority of citizens understand 

 what is needed and why and proceed to put it into effect. 



True we are making rapid progress toward such a situation. Twenty years 

 ago we had practically nothing. Now we have a great and efficient national 

 forestry administration. Most States have some forest Iws, some have good 

 ones, a few are fairly liberal with funds. We have forestry associations and 

 congresses. Lumbermen, once regarded as the opposition, are now showing the 

 most rapid advance of all, for in less than ten years their systematic protection 

 of private timber has grown from practically nothing to cover about 100,000,000 

 acres, with an increase of 3,000 per cent in five years. 



But why does the Forest Service still have to fight for existence in every 

 Congress, and at best be supplied with funds much less than private owners 

 spend to protect adjoining lands? Why do many States have no forest legis- 



