MEETING Held in Chicago, Illinois, October 18 and 19, 1893, IN CONNECTION WITH The World's Congress Auxiliary of the World's Columbian Exposition. WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 18, 1893. The Forestry Congress assembled in room 22 of the Art Institute at 10 o'clock in the morning, Mr. B. E. Fernow, chairman of the committee of arrangements, in the absence of the president of the association, presiding. After a few introductory remarks on the history, objects, and scope of the present meeting, the chairman read the following paper as an introduction to the subject, which he said would occupy the largest share of the attention of this Congress. FOREST CONDITIONS AND FORESTRY PROBLEMS IN THE UNITED STATES. By B. E. FERNOW. The United States in historic times were not as well wooded as many other countries. Forest growth never covered as much as 60 per cent. of the vast areas stretching across the continent from the Atlantic to the Pacific Ocean; and yet the impression of an inexhaustible forest wealth has been always prevalent. This is readily explained by the distribution of the forest area. The dense and continuous forest which covered the Atlantic side of the continent and the immense forest growth that skirts the Pacific Ocean hardly suggested that nearly half the area of the Union in the interior, with the exception of the mountain slopes and along the river courses, was forestless if not treeless, and that the population which was to settle these fertile acres would have to rely upon better wooded parts for material to build their houses and barns and their railroads. the During the 400 years since the advent of the Europeans on this continent this 60 per cent. or less of woodland has been reduced to below 25 per cent., not only by clearing for farm purposes, but also by most wasteful cutting and by careless use of fire, turning into useless brush or waste land what might have been an ever-producing resource. No other people of the earth have consumed virgin forests as lavishly as have the people of the United States. With a present consumption of 380 cubic feet of wood per capita, of which over 50 cubic feet is lumber, they excel the consumption of Germany nearly nine times, that of France nearly 12 times, and that of Great Britain more than 20 times. And since, even for fire-wood, only sizeable timber is used, we may reasonably calculate that to furnish the total present consumption of 24 billion cubic feet or more continuously not less than one billion acres would have to be kept in good productive condition, while at present less than half that forest area exists, and is culled and cut without any regard to reproduction or future condition. To be sure, there are still enormous quantities of virgin timber available, and although some valuable kinds, like the white pine, tulip popular, ash, and walnut, are or are soon to become practically exhausted, large stores of other timbers remain to supply us for many years. Yet, even so, serious concern may well be caused with reference to our future supplies by the reflection that large areas of woodland which to the casual and uninitiated observer appear well wooded are so severely culled of the better kinds of timber that for supplies of material useful in the arts they must be counted as unavailable, the very fact that the inferior kinds were left being a serious detriment; reforestation with better kinds by natural reproduction being made thereby impossible, and by artificial planting being made too expensive. While the rough estimates of our consumption and the condition of our resources are not reassuring of the future, the student of political economy may also figure out the loss to the national commonwealth by depreciation in productive and taxable power of the devastated thousands of square miles which are found whereever the lumberman has finished his work. Furthermore, the effects of improvident clearing or devastation of mountain forests have long become apparent in unfavorable water conditions and agricultural productiveness, just as experienced in other countries, like France, Italy, Austria, etc. While the loss of material by fires, the scourge of all pioneer countries, in comparison with bona fide consumption is but a small matter, perhaps 2 to 3 per cent. of the consumption, the indirect loss caused by them can hardly be overestimated. Not only is the fertility of the soil deteriorated by burning of the mould, but the water-holding capacity of the forest floor, upon which depends the effectiveness of forest influence upon waterflow, is destroyed and, furthermore, conservative forest management is discouraged; the constant risk from fires is an incentive to turn into cash as quickly as possible what is valuable in forest growth, leaving the balance to its fate. The bulk of the forest lands is owned by private individuals. The idea of State ownership of lands, except for public buildings, forts, etc., and for eventual disposal, has not been germane to the spirit of our institutions until a few years ago, when the friends of forestry succeeded in establishing in some parts a new policy. School lands, indemnity lands, swamp lands, and other lands which the General Government has given to the States or which they have owned otherwise have never been held for an income except by their sale. some Now, however, has not only the State of New York set aside a forest reserve of nearly 1,000,000 acres, to be gradually increased, but the President of the United States has received power to set aside from the public lands forest reservations, under which power 17,000,000 acres of public timber land have so far been reserved, and at the present writing a bill for the rational management of this newly "sanctified" public property is on its passage through Congress, with a fair chance of becoming a law. The private ownership of forests may be divided into three classes: the farmers who own wood lots connected with their farms, probably now not 30 per cent. being so owned; the speculators, among whom may be included all those who hold forest property temporarily for the purpose of selling it to obtain the unearned increment from the third class, namely, those who develop and utilize the forest resources- -lumbermen and manufacturers, in whose hands finally the bulk of the forest area must fall, and to whom we, therefore, must look for a forest policy. In addition to the owners of the natural forest resources we must not forget the forest-planters of the West. These are mainly farmers, and the plantations, mostly small groves, increasing in number, value, and quality, stand to the farm in the same relation as the 32 wood lot in Eastern States. Although this planted area has for the markets as yet no significance, furnishing hardly anything beyond fire-wood and fence material, it is beginning to satisfy the owners that forest-planting is advantageous in many ways, and the experiences gathered in these first attempts will be of value for forest management in the future. Forest management as practised abroad, when timber is treated like a crop, being systematically harvested and replaced, is utterly unknown, a few feeble attempts on a small scale only being on record. Beyond an occasional attempt at protecting forest property from fire no attention is paid to it except when the wood is to be cut. Usually it is culled of its best timber and then left to its fate. In many cases, by injudicious use of the axe, followed by fire, it is turned into useless brush or waste land, with which many square miles are covered, or it is at least deteriorated in its composition. Thus a large proportion of what appears still well wooded is really of no account as far as supplies are concerned. Such are the forest conditions of the United States. The forestry problems are the same as those existing in all highly developed countries. There is no country in which they are fully solved; the difference is only in degree-some being nearer, others less near, to solution. Broadly stated, the forestry problem of the world-and the same applies to the United States in particular-is, how to reconcile private interest in forest property with communal interests; how to secure the needs of the present without impairing the requirements of the future; how to utilize the forest material and at the same time preserve the forest conditions which are favorable to climate and waterflow. Private interest, we must never forget, is resolved into the one word profit; and mostly only direct and immediate profit, expressable in dollars and cents, appeals to the private individual. There is generally but little appreciation of indirect profits or of distant promises of revenue, and still less regard for neighbors or future generations in the conduct of private business. These last considerations concern, however, the community. While the forest-owner may be satisfied to fill his pocket-book by wastefully cutting and marketing the best of his timber, leaving the balance to deteriorate, the community has an interest in seeing the resources not only fully utilized but continued in productive capacity; the community has an interest in maintaining supplies. AMIGA THE UNIT ICHIGAN. If the private owner does not care whether his forest property, after he has culled the marketable timber, falls a prey to the fire and becomes a waste, the community is certainly concerned in such a result, were it only to preserve the taxing value of its territory. If by the reckless treatment of the mountain forest the waterflow is disturbed, this may not concern the forest-owner, but it does concern the community, whose duty it is to protect its members against damage by the inconsiderateness of others, to restrict such. use of private property as is detrimental to neighbors or to other distant interests. Whatever may be thought of other private property, the forest, experience, experiment, and sound reasoning have shown, bears such a close relation to other cultural and to water conditions that the unrestricted exercise of property rights is apt to lead to conditions detrimental to the interests of the community and of coming generations. How and how far restriction may be applied, or how private forest-owners may be made to consider the interests of the community in the use of their property, or whether and where the community had best take possession of the forest property, that is the general forestry problem. As far as the Federal Government is concerned, the solution of the problem has been fairly begun. If the present Administration be wise, it will reserve from sale all the remaining public timber lands-somewhat between 50 and 70 million acres only, mostly on the Western mountain slopes-and organize a management of this important property, by which its stores are used conservatively without impairing its reproductive capacity. Such management, crude and simple though it may be at first, consisting of protective measures mainly, may gradually develop into a rational system of forestry. If the General Government fulfils this duty well, and in addition supports liberally the bureau of information known as the Forestry Division, it will have done all that may be expected of it; not that other aids and encouragements might not be given, such as the establishment of a chair of forestry at West Point, where officers may find instruction in the principles of forestry, fitting them to act in telligently as guardians of the public forest property; or the nationalization of an Arbor Day, to arouse more general attention to the subject; or by legislation regarding tariff on forest products, although at present it is questionable whether the retention or abolishment tariff may have any effect upon forest conservancy, as Mr. Little contends, to remove from the trade of the existing except, papers the |