150 JOURNAL OF FORESTRY 



DISCUSSION OF THE PROGRAM 



The remedies and solutions for the situation described have not as 

 yet been definitely decided upon, but the tentative proposals are worthy 

 of further comment. 



1. One hundred thousand-acre forest during next lO years. Such a 

 purchase policy involving the expenditure of $50,000 the first two years 

 is more than the program for Massachusetts (100,000 acres in 15 

 years). It will probably be difficult to carry the Connecticut purchase 

 through in 10 years but the area aimed at is certainly conservative. The 

 main difficulty will be the small holdings and the fact that such a large 

 proportion of the forest land is really a part of the farm woodlot. It 

 will be next to impossible to consolidate holdings without paying too 

 high a price, and without consolidation administration will be dfficult. 

 But the project can and should be carried out. 



2. Reorganisation. The new State Forester and assistant will head 

 a State forestry department under the State Park Commission who 

 shall make the appointments. The present forester for the Experi- 

 ment Station will be a member of the State Park Commission but will 

 specialize on research forestry. The. State Forestry Department will 

 then acquire and administer State forests, direct fire protection through 

 the fire warden service, enforce S^ate forestry statutes, co-operate in 

 management of other public and private forest properties as directed 

 by law. The State Park Commission is a strong non-partisan commis- 

 sion composed of able men and there is a precedent of having a State 

 forestry official who is not appointed by the Governor; the present 

 forester is appointed by the Experiment Station. It is doubtful, how- 

 ever, if the new State forester should give advice to private timber 

 owners ; this should be given by the Experiment Station Forester who, 

 according to Filley, would be left "free to develop those lines of work 

 . . . for which it was instituted, that is, investigational and experi- 

 mental work in forestry ; advice and encouragement to land owners ; 

 educational work along forestry lines." 



There have been some interesting problems of organization in con- 

 nection with the proposed reorganization. In the reorganization it 

 is proposed to place the forester of the Agricultural Experiment Sta- 

 tion on the Park Board. The new State Forester will then be appointed 

 by the Park Board and work under that Board. The advantage of this 

 scheme is that the Park Board will have the benefit of the advice and 



