6 AN AUSTRALIAN STUDY OF AMERICAN FORESTRY 
After which, for some years, the forestry movement became the “ playball 
of political wire-pullers ” and fell into disrepute. 
“Arbor day sentimentalism discredited and clouded the issue 
before the business world; antagonism of the lumber world was 
aroused by the false idea of what the reform contemplated, and in 
the absence of technically-trained foresters to instruct the public and 
amateur reformers, &c., and to convince legislators of the absolute 
need for discontinuing the established habits, progress was naturally 
slow, and experienced many setbacks.” 
Nevertheless, the forestry movement was ‘progressing, and in 1891 
Congress let pass a “rider” to an Act, which authorised the President to set 
aside forest reservations from the public domain. Some 17,000,000 acres were 
speedily proclaimed. 
Meanwhile, no provision had been made for administration, and a subse- 
quent act to repair the omission failed to become Jaw, “for lack of time to 
secure a conference report.” 
Some years later, in 1896; the Forestry Association prevailed upon the 
Secretary of the Interior to request the National Academy of Sciences to 
investigate and report upon the inauguration of a national forest policy. 
A committee of investigation picnicked in the woods for a period, and a 
report followed. On Washington’s birthday, in 1897, President Cleveland 
adopted the report, and heroically proclaimed the 20,000,000 of additional 
reservation recommended, “ without the usual preliminary ascertainment of 
local interests.” 
An outcry followed, and being recalled in extra session to pass the Annual 
Civil Appropriation Bill, Congress tacked another “rider” to the Bill, 
suspending the reservations so proclaimed, “ until they could be more definitely 
delimited, private claims adjusted, and agricultural lands excluded.” Adminis- 
tration provisions for the remaining reservations were hung on to this rider. 
By this time, the forestry agency, established in. 1876, had become the 
Division of Forestry, and in 1898 fell into the capable hands of Gifford Pinchot, 
who had acquired some knowledge of European forestry, and who, being 
ambitious, aggressive, and, at the same time, wealthy and influential, was 
able to secure such appropriations for its work as to bring the division into 
much greater prominence. 
In 1901, this division controlled the scientific development of forestry, 
while the survey of the forest reserves was vested in the Geological Survey, 
and their administration in the General Land Office! 
The history of forestry in Australia has been strangely like that of the 
United States of America, and in 1901 the forestry position in the States was, 
in many respects, comparable to that now existing with us, following upon, 
and possibly preceding, a very similar development. 
The year 1901 marked the beginning of a new era for American forestry. 
In that year Theodore Roosevelt became President of the United States of 
America; and within twelve months the forest reservations had increased to 
65,000,000 acres, and the Division of Forestry had grown into the Bureau of 
Forestry. : 
Within another three years, the same bureau had become the United 
States of America Forest Service, with full and undivided control over 
162,000,000 acres of national forest, and the federal forest policy was firmly 
established. 
