STATE WORK 



61 



flying of fire balloons anywhere within the 

 state, carrying a penalty of a fine not ex- 

 ceeding one hundred dollars, or of im- 

 prisonment not exceeding one month, or 

 both; (2) A provision by which the state 

 forester may reimburse towns for fifty 

 per cent of their expenditures in preventing 

 and extinguishing forest fire or for making 

 protective belts or zones as a preventive 

 against forest fires, no such reimbusements 

 to exceed $250; (3) A provision by which 

 the state forester, with the approval of the 

 governor and council, is authorized to ac- 

 cept bequests or gifts to be used for the 

 purpose of advancing the forestry interests 

 of the commonwealth. 



New Hampshire Timberland Owners Meet 



A meeting of the large timberland own- 

 ers of the state was held at Gorham, New 

 Hampshire, December 15th, for the purpose 

 of perfecting their association tor fire pro- 

 tection and general co-operation. The 

 firms represented were International Paper 

 Company, Berlin Mills Company, Conway 

 Company, Publishers Paper Company, Con- 

 necticut valley Lumber Company, Coe & 

 Pingree Estate, Odell Manufacturing Com- 

 pany, Livermore Mills Company, Cham- 

 plain Realty Company, Geo. M. Blanchard 

 & Son Co., E. Libby & Sons Co., C. M. C. 

 Twitchell Estate, Sinclair-Stahl Company, 

 A. M. Stahl, Pike Manufacturing Company, 

 H. B. Hinman Estate, Dartmouth College 

 Grant, Johnson Lumber Company, Bretton 

 Woods Hotel Company, Balsams Hotel 

 Company, Profile Hotel Company. 



Addresses on the work already accom- 

 plished by the association in the way of 

 establishing a large number of mountain 

 fire lookout stations throughout the state, 

 and the proposed protection work for the 

 coming year were given by W. R. Brown, of 

 the New Hampshire Forestry Commission, 

 and E. C. Hirst, State Forester. 



The officers elected were W. R. Brown, of 

 the Berlin Mills Company, president; W. H. 

 Bundy, of the Conway Company, vice- 

 president; George S. Lewis, of the Con- 

 necticut Valley Lumber Company, Frank 

 P. Thomas, of the International Paper Com- 

 pany, and Charles C. Wilson, of the Odell 

 Manufacturing Company, to form a direc- 

 torship together with the president and 

 vice-president, of five members. Three 

 committees were appointed — fire protective, 

 legislative and auditing. It was voted to 

 hire a forester ana work in co-operation 

 with the state. 



Over a million acres were represented 

 at this meeting, and a maximum assess- 

 ment of one cent per acre per year was 

 voted to carry on the work. Membership 

 is desired of all timberland owners in the 

 state. The office of the association will be 

 at Gorham, N. H. 



Pennsylvania Forestry Association 



At the annual meeting of the Pennsyl- 

 vania Forestry Association in Philadelphia, 

 on the 12th of December, Dr. Joseph T. 

 Roth rock, its secretary, recommended the 

 opening of the state forest reserves to 

 limited cattle grazing, hunting and fishing, 

 and to parties of campers and heath 

 seekers. 



In his annual report to the association, 

 President John Birkinbine urged that poli- 

 tics be kept out of the forestry movement 

 and deplored the division of conservation 

 advocates on the question of national or 

 state control, declaring that the forestry 

 movement needs no political slogan to 

 make it important. 



The law committee of the association is 

 now at work on a bill to revise the system 

 of taxing forests, which it is hoped to bring 

 before the next session of the Pennsylvania 

 legislature. 



The following officers and a council at 

 large, representing the counties of the 

 state, were elected: President, John Birk- 

 inbine; vice-presidents, William S. Harvey, 

 James C. Haydon, Alfred Lewis; general 

 secretary, Dr. Joseph T. Rothrock; record- 

 ing secretary, F. L. Bitler; treasurer, 

 Charles E. Pancoasc. 



West Virginia 



While fires are the most destructive 

 enemy to the large forests of West Vir- 

 ginia, the loss sustained in this state from 

 rot and depreciation of debris runs into 

 millions of dollars. But few of the lumber- 

 men of this state are getting from the 

 foiests what should be gotten, fully 30 per 

 cent of the tree being left in the forest 

 to rot and decay. Men interested in the 

 lumber business of West Virginia will seek 

 at the coming session of the legislature to 

 secure better protective foi'est laws, accord- 

 ing to the Wheeling Intelligencer, which 

 estimates the loss from rot and deprecia- 

 tion of debris as second only to that from 

 fire. 



During the year which is now rapidly 

 drawing to a close the destruction of for- 

 ests in West Virginia by fires, will be the 

 smallest in recent years. This fact is 

 largely attributed to the establishment of a 

 forest, game and fish department. It is 

 estimated that fully $2,000,000 was saved 

 during the year just closing at a cost of 

 a little over $1,500. The present adminis- 

 tration has accomplished many things that 

 have proven of great benefit to the forests, 

 but the work has only just started. The 

 requirement of spark-arresters on all rail- 

 road trains used in the woods, was an im- 

 portant step in the matter of saving the 

 forests. The prohibiting of the building of 

 fires through the woods and other laws 

 have helped the tree. 



