The San Francisco call., 1901-12-20
WATERS AND FORESTS.

TPON assembling to-day the members of the
| California Water and Forest Association
~ congratulate one another upon the increasing
public and popular interest in the work they have un
dertaken The campaign of education on the subject
of the need for comprehensive system Of conserving
our forests has had widespread effects and what was
regarded few years ago as an academic question has
now become of practical politics
The Secretary of the Interior and the Secretary of
Agriculture have each referred to the subject far as
it is affected by the work of his department and have
emphasized its importance. The President himself
has devoted considerable portion of his message to
Congress in urging the Importance of forest preser-
vation, beginning by reminding Congress that
public opinion throughout the United States has
moved steadily forward to Just appreciation OF the
value of forests" and closing by saying "The for
ests natural reservoirs By restraining the
in flood and replenshng them in drought they make
possible the use of waters otherwise wasted They
prevent the soil from washing and so protect the
storage reservoirs from filling up with silt Forest
conservation is therefore an essential condition
water conservation"
These utterances from the President and the heads
of departments Washington, taken in connection
with the widespread demand for the adoption of
national policy of forest protection the public
lands give reason for expecting from Congress some
thing in the way of definite action at this session
The leadership of the National Government will of
course have its effect upon California, and conse-
quently the members of the State association have
fair prospect of seeing in the future good
suits from the work they have been doing with SO
much zeal and energy.
The need of forest protection is fairly well un-
derstood by intelligent people throughout the Union
Here and there voice of objection is heard but the
obector has either some se-nterest to serve in the
waste of the forests or else he is who does his
own thinking" and agrees with what any one
else says. Virtually that part of the campaign OF edit
cation is over. Now comes the more perplexing
part-that of determining how the work of preser-
vaton be best carried n.
1t is foregone conclusion that under Our system
else must be dependent partly upon individuals,
partly upon local and State governments and partly
upon the nation There is reason to believe the
National Government will be willing to give consid-
cradle aid and support to State governments that
enter earnestly and scientifically upon the task of pre-
serving existing woods or of reforeStng areas that
have been stripped bare of and unfit for ag-
riculture The States, however must take the nita-
tive in dealing with their problems. The Califor-
MIA Forestry Association is therefore doing a most
important service to the public in working out the
right solution for the many problems that will be in
volved in the conservation of woods and waters in
the association have always attracted great deal o
public interest and this meeting is likely to prove the
most attractive and important that has yet been held