The Appeal. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn. ;) 1889-19??, 1921-04-23

Joint Action of State and Fed
eraI Governments Necessary
to Stop Destruction.
FOREST FIRES ONE PROBLEM
Largest and Most important Field for
Cooperation Is Fire Prevention
Cost of Protection Should be
Shared by Private Owner.

Observation-Disclosures for public action
to save the remaining forests of the
United States from devastation, and
to provide for timber production on
lands already laid waste, was strongly
urged by Col. w. B. Greeley, chief of
the forest service, United States De-
partment of Agriculture, at the hear
lngs before the house agricultural COM
nlttee on the Smell bill.
The bill authorizes and directs the
secretary of agriculture, in co-opera-
ton with the various states or other
suitable agencies, to recommend the
requirements essential for protecting
timbered and cut-over land from fire.
refreshing denuded lands, and cutting
and removing timber crops so that
continuous production of timber will
be promoted. To bring into effect
these requirements, and with view
to furnishing a continuous supply of
timber for the use and necessities of
the public, cooperation between the
federal government and the states is
authorized, on such conditions as the
secretary of agriculture may deter
nine to be fair and reasonable.
Expenses Borne Jointly.
Federal expenditures under cooper
ative> agreements with states would.
under the bill, have to be at least
equaled by state expenditures derived
either from general taxation or from
owners Of forest lands under state re-
qulrements. The bill also provides
for survey of the forest resources
and requirements Of the country, for
experiments and Investigations in re-
forestation and methods of cutting and
utilizing timber, for enlarged pur-
chases Of lands for federal admins
tratlon as national forests, and for
various other features of a national
program of forestry.
In urging the necessity for action,
Colonel Greeley pointed out that the
essential problem of providing for fu-
ture needs is national one.
New York." the colonel said, Sim
ports nine-tenths of the lumber which
she requires. Pennsylvania imports
four-ffths, while large group of mid
die western states import 81 per cent
of their wood. The bulk of our paper
comes from half a dozen states. The
growing Of timber on enormous areas
Of land adapted by nature to that pur-
pose and scattered throughout 80
states is just as much a-national ne
cessity and just as much a matter for
national action as the encouragement
of agriculture or the maintenance Of
interstate transporta ton.
"The growing of timber cannot be
left to private initiative alone. Under
the bill the federal government will
assume the technical leadership of the
1ef0restatiOn movement throughout
the country. While in the prairie
states cooperation would have to deal
chiefly with tree planting, in other
states it should cover technical meth
DDS of fire prevention, of disposal Of
debris left in logging, of cutting yari-
GUS types of timber so as to secure a
new crop of the kind desired, and the
like.
THE largest and most important
field Of cooperation, however, in all
states containing extensive forest
| areas is in the prevention Of forest
fires. This is the first step to a con-
tinuous supply Of timber. Once the
vast area of cut-over land suitable
| for timber production is really pro-
tected from forest fires, three-quarters
of our forest problem is solved.
THE cost of forest protection should
be shared by the public and the pri-
vate owner, But fire prevention is
| not an end in itself. The reforesta-
ton Of timber-growiu2 land and the
actual production Of timber is the real
| objective. In no instances should fed
eral funds be expended unless the
1 state carries out the requirements
found necessary by the federal forest
service to make timber grow