292 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



are the only advanced nation with the 

 crop of standing timber on its annual 

 tax roll. As long as forests are taxed 

 on the basis of an annual crop, the 

 holding of young forests until they ma- 

 ture means financial loss to the owner. 

 Under such conditions the establishment 

 of new forests cannot be expected. I 

 believe that the taxation of forest lands 

 should be based upon the yield, when 

 the timber is cut. The timber should 

 be taxed separately from the land, and 

 only like other crops, after it is har- 

 vested. The land alone should be taxed 

 annually. The tax on the timber itself. 

 when cut, and an annual tax upon the 

 land, exclusive of the timber, is prac- 

 tical, certain, and fair, and well adapted 

 to American conditions of forest in- 

 vestment. It would insure a ]jerma- 

 nent revenue from the forests, in place 

 of a temporary one. Such a law would 

 be a tremendous improvement over the 



present system of taxation, which en- 

 courages and even compels forest de- 

 struction. 



It is realized that the principles 

 wdiich are here recommended can- 

 not be generally adopted without 

 amendment to the constitutions of many 

 of the states ; but a growing public in- 

 terest in the subject will compel such 

 amendments and open the way for a 

 system of forest taxation which will 

 really encourage the holding of timber 

 and the reforestation of lands other- 

 wise of little economic value. In some 

 of the states steps have already been 

 taken to this end. 



As has been well said, "it is better 

 from every side that forest land should 

 yield a moderate tax permanently than 

 that it should }ield an excessive rev- 

 enue temiinrarily, and then cease to 

 yield at all." 



How shall this land be taxed to encourage maximum timber production ? 



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