SUMMARY OF LEGISLATION FOR THE PRESERVATION OF TIMBER 



OR FORESTS ON THE PUBLIC DOMAIN, 



By IST, H. Egleston, 

 Forestry Division. 



The earliest action of the General Government having regard to the 

 preservation of timber was in 1799, when Congress appropriated 8200,000 

 for '^ the pnrchase of growing or other timber, or of lands on which tim- 

 ber is growing, suitable for the Navy, and for its preservation for future 

 use," The special object of this legislation was to secure a supply of 

 Li ve-Oak timber, which was considered peculiarly valuable for ship-build- 

 ing and was in great demand for that purpose, both at home and abroad 

 while its growth was confined to a limited portion of our territory in the 

 vicinity of the Gulf. Two small islands on the coast of Georgia, con- 

 taining together about 2,000 acres, were purchased under the act of 

 1799. Another act (Eevised Statutes, section 2458), having the same 

 object in view, was passed in 1817, by which the Secretary of the ]!s"avy 

 was directed to cause lauds producing Live Oak or Eed Cedar to be 

 explored, and to have selections made of tracts necessary to furnish for 

 the jS'avy a sufficient supply of such timbers. Under this act 19,000 acres 

 in Louisiana, which had recently become ours b^' purchase from France, 

 w^ere reserved. 



Additional enactments were made in 1820 and 1827, by which the 

 selection of lands to be reserved was intrusted to the surveyor of Pub- 

 lic Lands in place of agents appointed by the Secretary of the Navy, 

 and the President was authorized to withhold such lands from sale. 



In 1822, an act was passed (Revised Statutes, section 2460), authoriz. 

 ing the President to employ the land and naval forces so far as neces- 

 sary effectually to prevent the felling or other destruction of timber in 

 Florida, and to take such other measures as might be deemed advisable 

 for the pi'eservation of timber there. (Florida had recently been ceded 

 to the Uuited States by Spain, and was known to abound in Live-Oak 

 timber.) 



In 1831, an act was passed (Revised Statutes, sections 24G1, 2402, and 

 2463) of wider scope than that of 1822. This made it a felony, with 

 penalty of fine and imprisonment, to cut or remove timber from any of 

 the public lauds, whether reserved or not, except for the use of the 



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