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"...a forest which contributes nothing to the wealth, progress, or
safety of the country is of no interest..."
President THEODORE ROOSEVELT
on Federal Forest Managnemt
"...Teddy Roosevelt is a man often described as our “Conservation President.” At a 1903 meeting of the Society of American Foresters in Washington, D.C. he described his forest policy in exquisite detail.
"Here is what he said:
"... now, first and foremost, you can never afford to forget for a moment what is the object of our forest policy, for that object is not to preserve the forests because they are beautiful, though that is good in itself; nor is it because they are refuges for the wild creatures of the wilderness, though that, too, is good in itself; but the primary object of our forest policy, as of the land policy of the United States, is the making of prosperous homes. It is part of the traditional policy of home making in our country.
"Every other consideration comes as secondary. You yourselves have got to keep this practical object before your minds; to remember that a forest which contributes nothing to the wealth, progress or safety of the country is of no interest to the Government, and should be of little interest to the forester. Your attention must be directed to the preservation of forests, not as an end in itself, but as a means of preserving and increasing the prosperity of the nation.”
"Looking back over the last 25 or so years, can anyone doubt that where our conservation ethic is concerned – indeed where many ethical aspects of our society are concerned - we have fallen a very long way into a very dark abyss? ...." (excerpted from a speech by James D. Petersen, Founder of the Evergreen Foundation, as he was speaking to the Western Wood Preservers Institute, November 14, 2005, Princeville Resort, Kauai, Hawaii)
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