PRIVATE REFORESTATION 



By M. H. Hoover 



DESPITE the activities of the 16 counties which the Federal census 

 State of New York to encourage calls banner agricultural counties, and, 

 the reforestation of waste and in view of the value of the farm products 

 denuded lands by offering suit- of the Empire State. The Conservation 

 able trees at cost to private owners and Commission's estimate of one-eighth of 

 by the enactment of more equitable the state's area being wasted, because 

 taxation laws, the replacing of forest not reforested, may be low. At any 

 trees on lands now producing little or rate, the fact remains that both public 

 no valuable growth is generally not and private land owners have an im- 

 making the progress which the situation mense task, as well as duty, to perform, 

 demands. The owners of denuded Governor Glynn, not long ago, in an 

 forest lands are usually ready to admit address to conservationists, inclined to 

 that the reforestation of their property the view that the state would have to 

 would prove a splendid investment, adopt a more radical programme in 

 but too many lack either the initiative order to effect the reforestation of the 

 or the capital to act on their convictions vast areas in New York which are idle, 

 in this regard. He believed that the forest lands tax- 

 As for the State, the legislature has ation laws should be made still more 

 been backward in making appropria- liberal than they are; that the state 

 tions necessary to the reforestation of should furnish trees at cost to private 

 its own forest preserve lands at a rate owners either in large or small lots ; and 

 commensurate with the requirements that the state should itself undertake 

 of a vast area comprising about 1,- the reforestation of its lands at a rate 

 600,000 acres, about one-third of which that would replant its holdings within 

 should be immediately replanted. a few years; and that the state should 

 Of the State's 30,498,560 acres, total itself replant privately owned forest 

 area, 12,000,000 acres or 40 per cent, lands, awaiting reimbursement until 

 are wooded. But only half of the the tree crop should be finally harvested, 

 wooded now contains merchantable The forest products of New York 

 timber, with 3,500,000 acres now ready State have shown a steady falling off, 

 for cutting in the Great Forest Regions averaging a decrease of 25 per cent, 

 and 2,500,000 acres in the farm wood- during the years 1910, 1909 and 1908. 

 lots. There are 4,500,000 acres with In the last named year, the forest 

 more or less valuable growth, but not products of New York amounted to 

 now merchantable; and 1,500,000 acres 1,226,754,000 feet. Last year they were 

 with no valuable growth. There are a little over 900,000,000. We can no 

 800,000 acres of unimproved farm lands longer speak of New York's forest 

 which are best adapted to forest growth, products output in figures of bilhons. 

 In the State_ today we have 2,300 000 ^o restore the forests, for the protec- 

 acres producmg no valuable growth, a ^-^^ ^f ^^^^^ ^^^^^^ f^^ ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^ 



virtual waste of about eight per cent, of ^ ^^^^^ products, for the suitable habitats 

 the State s total area, and almost three r ^ i j r^ /^i > 



times the area occupied by the towns, °^/^^ ^^^ g^^^' Governor Glynn s 



cities and roads of the State. The ^^^^^^1 ^^ progressive programme of 



College of Forestry at Syracuse in a conservation may have to be adopted, 



recent bulletin declared that about one- It undoubtedly would prove to be the 



half of the state's area could be best best thing that could happen for the 



utihzed in growing forest trees. That state of New York, from the standpoint 



estimate seems to be much too high, in of the lumbermen, the sportsmen and 



view of the fact that New York has the lovers of nature. 



820 



