Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1905-02-03
THE AMERICAN FOREST CONGRESS.
A Remarkable Conference Between All
the Industries Dependent on the Forests
Its Practical Work.

A Remarkable Conference Between All
the Industries Dependent on the Forests
Its Practical Work.
The American Forest Congress recently
held at Washington, well and thoroughly
accomplished it's initial purpose-the.
bringing together in joint discussion of
all the interests dependent upon the for
ests. The congress was -eminently
representative of the numbering, mining,
and grazing industries Of the railroads
and Of irrigation. Practically every state
i'm the Union and the chief consumers OF
forest products were represented by del
egates. Each session OF the four days
was fully occupied with papers presenting
the ablest thought of the nation along
all lines of inquiry covered. The lumber
man. the miner, and the stockman, whose
business depends upon the use of the for
est touched elbows with the irrigator and
government officials both state and ma
tional who wish the forest to be used only
i'm n way which will improve and per-
petuate ii. Such a congress would have
been impossible a few years ago. So
little was forestry then understood that
the rights and purposes of lumbermen,
stockmen miners: and irrigators were
held to be so diametrically opposed to
those of the foresters that no common
ground between them ever could be found.
meeting then between the represent
atives of opposed interests was signal
for friction, not an occasion for mutual
concession and expression of good will.
The whole face of the situation has been
radically changed. Each interest now
recognizes that the other has a just claim
on its forbearance, care, and cooperation.
The interdependence of all upon the for
est. and the ability of the forest. when
properly treated to furnish each in turn
the product needed are now universally
admitted. This entire change in senti-
ment is the strongest guarantee that one
of the greatest of our sources of national
wealth is to be saved from speedy de-
struction. The keynote of the congress
was struck by President Roosevelt when
he called il a congress of forest users.
The underlying and absorbing thought
of the congress was the proper use of
the forest-how to use II so that each
industry could get the most advantage
from it and yet how the total use should
result in its perpetuation and constant
Improvement Every interest Joined with
the foresters in regrettlng the forest raw
age of the past and in earnest purpose
for putting into effect better methods in
the future.
The deliberations took concrete form
at the close of the session in the adoption
of set of resolutions, the most impor-
tant of which were the following: Urging
on Congress and all legislative bodies
full protection and preservation of the
forest especially protection. from fire;
advising reduction of taxation on lands
held for forest reproduction, so as to in
duce forest conservation; urging the
repeal of the timber and stone act; ad-
vising the guarded sale of timber growing
on public lands; favoring in case of lieu
land selections an exchange for lands of
equivalent value or of similar condition
of forest growth; advocating the imme-
didate consolidation of all government
forest work, including the administration
of the National Forest Reserves, in the
Department of Agriculture; favoring the
passage of a law which will authorize
the sale of all non-mineTal products of
the forest reserves, the proceeds to be
applied to the management and protec-
tion of the reserves and to road and trail
construction within them; that Congress
appropriate adequate sums for the pro-
motion of forest education and expert
ment work in all Agricultural colleges
and experiment stations in the United
States; that opportunities be increased
for general forest education in schools
and colleges, and for professional train
ing I'm postgraduate schools; urging the
establishment of national forest reserves
in the southern Appalachians and In the
White Mountains; that Congress declare
forfeited all right-of way permits not
exercised promptly on issuance, and
secure to all industries engaged in lawful