Conservation

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by Ernest Thompson Seton

In my young days some 50 odd years ago, trees were considered the greatest plague of the settler, and every means of destroying them was employed with vigor. The man who cut down a tree on his neighbor's land, was supposed to be doing him a benefit.

Now what a change we see! Forest destruction has gone so fast and so far that we have been suddenly confronted with the probability of a woodless waste where once were the American forests famous the world over; with a desolated, deliberately desolated, fatherland.

We know these things today, and wise leaders are everywhere at work inculcating the methods of true conservation.

With these leaders, the Woodcraft League co-operates, and to this end, we have in this issue of the Birch Bark Roll carefully avoided any line of activity that seems likely to lead to destruction of any of Mother Nature's blessings.

Collections of butterflies and birds we no longer encourage, baskets made of materials where their use would be a menace to our forest resources are not now listed for honors. On the other hand, the placing of bird boxes, the planting of trees, the dissemination of wild flowers and the destruction of tent caterpillars, etc., are cited as honorable Woodcraft activities.