connection with agri- 
culture. 
It is of interest to 
consider for a moment 
the characteristics of 
some   of the forest 
problems confronting 
the ancients. Even a 
cursory survey of 
them suffices to show 
t h e i r similarity to 
those we are strug- 
gling with in America 
today. 
It now seems fairly 
well established that 
by the lth century 
B. C. the forests, es- 
pecially in the neigh- 
borhood of large cities, 
in Palestine, Asia Min- 
or and Greece, h a d 
been largely destroy- 
ed, and it was neces- 
sary to transport tim- 
ber for the temples at 
Tyre and Sidon from 
Mount Lebanon, thus 
greatly increasing the 
cost and difficulty of 
erecting these struc- 
tures. 
S e v e r a l centuries 
later the forests on 
Mount Lebanon were 
l a r g e l y destroyed. 
This is indicated by 
the fact that in about 
the year 465 B. C. 
Artaxerxes I attempt- 
ed to regulate the cut- 
ting of timber in that 
region.  Nevertheless 
forest destruction un- 
doubtedly continued, 
because Alexander the 
Great found at least 
the south slope almost 
woodless in 333 B. C. 
The Bible, too, al- 
ludes to the serious 
consequences of forest 
exploitation and fire. 
The Prophet Isaiah de- 
 
plores the destruction 
by axe and fire of the celebrated forests of Sharon, 
Carmel and Bashan, and as a result of the destruc- 
tion he tells us that "The beasts of the fields cry also 
unto Thee because fire hath destroyed the green 
pastures of the wilderness." This is one of the earli- 
est allusions to the consequences of forest fires, and 
if the beasts of the fields can actually "cry," they 
still have sufficient cause to do so. 
There are a few other early references made to 
extensive forest fires. One of the most interesting 
of these is recorded by Hanno, a Carthaginian navi- 
gator, who in about 520 B. C. sailed along the African 
Coast as far south as what is now Liberia. South 
of the Gambia River Hanno's crew became panic 
stricken because the sky was red with flames of for- 
 
est fires. For days Hanno sailed on and the coast 
country was one blaze of fire from the burning forest. 
It appears fairly probable that extensive forest fires 
have occurred ever since, if not before, man learned 
the art of making fire. 
Since remote antiquity, ships have profoundly af- 
fected the course and progress of civilization. Until 
comparatively recent times, ships were built largely, 
if not entirely, of wood. It does not seem strange, 
therefore, that the early Egyptians, the Cretans, 
Carthaginians, Phoenicians and Romans all gave no 
small consideration to the question of an adequate 
and available supply of timber for ship building pur- 
poses. Much later in England, and later still in 
(Continued on Page 10) 
 
Fores 
mak, 
a gre 
contril 
tion 
our re 
tioni 
and 
spirit, 
welfa