A Brief History of Forestry. / In Europe, the United States and Other Countries

by B. E. Fernow

In order to secure influential support from outside, a committee of the Forestry Association induced the then Secretary of the Interior, Hoke Smith, in 1896, to request the National Academy of Sciences, the legally constituted adviser of the government in scientific matters, to investigate and report “upon the inauguration of a rational forest policy for the forested lands of the United States.” After an unnecessary so-called “junket” of a committee of the Academy to investigate the public timberlands, a preliminary report was submitted recommending the creation of thirteen additional reservations, with an area of over 20 million acres, and later a complete report was made with practically the same recommendations which had been urged by the Forestry Association.

President Cleveland, heroically, proclaimed the desired reserves all on one day, Washington’s birthday, 1897, without the usual preliminary ascertainment of local interests, and immediately a storm broke loose in the United States Senate, which threatened the overthrow of the entire, toilsomely achieved reservation policy; and impeachment of the President was strongly argued in a two-day (Sunday) session. Congress, however, came to an end on March 4, before it had taken any action, but, as it had also failed to pass the annual Sundry Civil Appropriation Bill, it was immediately recalled in extra session.

Then, again, by a clever trick and in an indirect and surreptitious manner, instead of by open, direct and straightforward consideration and deliberation of a proper policy, most important legislation was secured in the Sundry Civil Appropriation Bill, which provided for the temporary suspension of the reservations lately set aside until they could be more definitely delimited, private claims adjusted, and agricultural lands excluded, by a survey, for which $150,000 was appropriated to the United States Geological Survey. The agricultural lands were then to be returned to the public domain for disposal. At the same time, provisions for the administration of the remaining reservations, much in the sense of the legislation advocated by the Division of Forestry and by the Forestry Association, and especially for the sale of timber, were hung on to this appropriation clause. Under this act the reserves were administered until 1904.

If the interior history of this bit of legislation were revealed, it would probably appear that, not conception of the importance of the subject, but the need for the employment of a certain organized survey party in the Geological Survey was at the bottom of it.

While this law had set aside one year and a limited sum to accomplish the survey, this could not, of course, be done, and hence appropriations were continued, and the date for the segregation of the lands was deferred sine die. For years this forest survey continued, giving rise to magnificent volumes, issued from the Geological Survey, describing the forest reservations—a very useful, educational piece of work, not at all contemplated by the legislation—for which not less than $1.5 million have been expended. By 1905 some 110,000 square miles had been examined when this work was handed over to the Forestry Bureau.

Thus it happened, almost by accident, that finally the aims of the reformers were realized, the appointment of forest superintendents, rangers, etc., to take charge of the forest reservations was secured, and rules and regulations for their administration were formulated by the Commissioner of the General Land Office, marking the beginning of a settled policy on the part of the United States government to take care of its long neglected forest lands. In this work of first organization the name of Filibert Roth, a German-born forester, deserves mention.

Meanwhile, the Division of Forestry had continued to bring together and distribute in the shape of reports, bulletins, circulars, addresses and letters, such information useful for the education of the public, of wood consumers, and timberland owners, as its limited appropriations permitted, undertaking also some scientific investigations, especially in the line of timber physics.

Soon after, in July, 1898, when the writer resigned his position as Chief of the Division of Forestry, to organize the first professional forest school, the New York State College of Forestry, Mr. Gifford Pinchot, took charge of the division. Young, ambitious, aggressive, with some knowledge of forestry acquired in Europe and with influential connections and a large fortune, he easily secured the first need for effective sowing on the well-plowed field before him—appropriations. Whatever had been feebly begun could be broadly, sometimes lavishly, extended, and the new idea of making “working plans” for private timberland owners could be developed—a great educational work, which, earlier, when even co-operation with State institutions was considered a questionable proposition, would have been turned down as too paternal.

In five years the appropriations had increased tenfold, to over $250,000; and in the first decade of the new regime, around $3,000,000 had been spent on forestry investigations, not counting expenditures on forest reservation account.

A further strong support came into the field, when Mr. Roosevelt became President of the United States, in 1901, and unreservedly threw his overpowering influence into the balance, to advance forest policies.