The General Assembly of Virginia has manifested its interest in the forest resources of the Commonwealth in many ways in recent years. It has maintained the Division of Forestry in the Department of Conservation and Economic Development for the purpose of conserving our forests and assisting landowners in solving their forest management and timber marketing problems. In 1954 it created a Commission to study the growth and utilization of the forest resources of the people of Virginia and this Commission after a thorough study found a great deal of timber cutting "of the destructive type with little or no regard for forest management methods" resulting in "a marked reduction in the amount of pine growing lands, and an increase in the predominance of undesirable tree species." This Commission recommended remedial measures and the General Assembly at its 1956 session took action generally in accord with the Commission's recommendations.

Feeling that an evaluation of the results of these measures was in order and that certain other specific problems should be given study, the General Assembly at its 1958 session adopted two resolutions directing studies in the field by the Virginia Advisory Legislative Council, Senate Joint Resolution 55 and House Joint Resolution 79.