REVIEWS 



Report of the Deparfynent of Forestry of the State of Pennsylvania 

 for the year igjd-ipiy. 



This report, which reaches us rather belated, is throughout concerned 

 with the business of administration, the bulk being occupied by tabu- 

 lations and lists of officials. By additional purchases the total area 

 of public forests was brought up to 1,017,7 73 acres, which is divided 

 into 52 State Forests, each one under the administration of a Forester, 

 except for the necessity of curtailment during the war. Altogether 

 the department employed 71 foresters and 80 forest rangers, besides 

 in the neighborhood of 1,400 to" 1,800 fire wardens for the 21 districts 

 into which the State has been divided for protective purposes. The 

 organization for this latter purpose seems now to be complete with 

 47 observation towers, 174 other observation points and nearly 300 

 miles of telephone line. Still, in 1917, over 2,000 fires damaged over 

 300,000 acres by over $600,000, causing over $30,000 of expenditure 

 for extinction. In State Forests alone a gratifying reduction of area 

 burned is notable during the three years, 1915, 1910, and 1917. The 

 recreation feature of the State Forests is brought out by the fact that 

 400 camp leases were granted, the fee charged running from $5 to $20. 

 Revenues from timber sales are still nominal. The total receipts of 

 the State Forests amount to a little over $21,000 and the expenditures 

 in the neighborhood of $180,000. 



State nurseries to the number of four occupy 29 acres, besides 19 

 small nurseries maintained largely for their educational valtie. These 

 nurseries have shipped some 4,000,000 to 0,000,000 plants per year 

 and could increase their production to 15,000,000 but for the danger 

 of reforesting operations running far in advance of protection work. 

 This consideration has to some extent checked the extensive planting 

 operations of the State. Free distribution of seedlings, the applicant 

 paying cost of packing and hauling (20 cents to 40 cents per thousand), 

 is practiced, not feiver than 500 seedlings to one order. Close to one 

 and a half million seedlings were privately planted in 1916, while the 

 State planted five and a half million on 4,106 acres at an average cost 

 of $6.19 per acre and $3.05 per thousand. In 1917 the private planting 

 was somewhat increased, the State planting decreased at increased cost, 

 namely, $7.91 per acre and $3.73 per thousand. Since the State 

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