FORESTRY NOTES 



The Year with Our Forests 



By Walter Mulford 



It has been an eventful year with our forests, in forest preservation, in forestry, 

 and in lumbering. On the whole, the forests have reason to be well satisfied 

 with the year. Because of the business depression, the lumbermen have not 

 fared so well. 



forest preservation in the redwoods 

 The year 192 1 brought notable progress in the efforts of the Save-the-Red- 

 woods League to preserve a reasonable area of virgin redwood timber in the 

 coast counties north of San Francisco. Dr. John C. Phillips, of Wenham, 

 Massachusetts, deeded to the league a splendid grove in Humboldt County, at 

 the junction of Elk Creek and the South Fork of Eel River. This tract, the 

 Boiling Memorial Redwood Grove, was dedicated on August 6, 192 1, in mem- 

 ory of Colonel Raynal C. Boiling, brother-in-law of Dr. Phillips and the first 

 American officer of high rank to die in action in the Great War. Later in the 

 year the league purchased a second area of forty acres adjoining the Boiling 

 Grove, deriving the funds from membership dues and special contributions. 

 The league has now deeded both areas to the State of California as public 

 parks. Arrangements are almost completed for the purchase and deeding to the 

 state of a third grove, the gift of a Californian. 



The league's outstanding effort for the year was its campaign in conjunction 

 with the State Board of Forestry and other agencies, to secure funds from the 

 State of California for the purchase of redwood groves along the State High- 

 way in Humboldt and Mendocino counties. The result was an appropriation 

 by the 192 1 legislature of $300,000 for the purchase of redwood lands. The 

 State Board of Forestry, by which the fimds are administered, has been active, 

 and it is hoped that something over two thousand acres of redwoods will soon 

 be the property of the people of California as a result of the appropriation. 



An excellent start has been made. But if any adequate sample of the great 

 coast redwood forest is to be retained, it must come about partly as the gift of 

 many more groves from many individuals and organizations. Even this will 

 not be sufficient. We should have not only groves, more or less scattered, but 

 also a large unbroken area of untouched redwood, such as, happily for us, can 

 still be found if action is not too long delayed. This can probably be secured 

 only by a national movement to bring about a federal appropriation for the 

 purchase of a redwood national park. It is expected that a report will soon be 

 made to Congress as to possible locations for such a park. 



It is gratifying to be able to report mutual good-will between the league and 

 the redwood lumber companies. Commercial interests recognize the reasonable- 

 ness of preserving certain areas, and the redwood companies, both individually 

 and through the California Redwood Association, have been of great assistance 



