478 JOURNAL OF FORESTRY 



group they are vitally interested in what other States may do. They 

 wish the Government to aid them and other States as well, in order 

 that all the States may be assured of a sufficient quantity of timber 

 for the future. 



There are some fields in which co-operative efifort between the Gov- 

 ernment and the States is almost essential if results commensurate with 

 our needs are to be obtained. The following may be mentioned: 

 (1) Asquisition of public forests; (2) protection against forest fires; 

 (3) reforestation of denuded lands; (4) conservative cutting; (5) 

 farm forestry. Besides these there are other forest activities which 

 either the Federal Government or the States have been conducting 

 independently, such as an investigation of the forest-tax problem, a 

 survey of forest resources, land classification, and research. There is 

 no question whatever about the importance of these other forest activi- 

 ties, but co-operative effort in carrying them forward is not essential, 

 although in some instances it would be beneficial. 



One of the chief features of any forest program must be the acqui- 

 sition by the public of lands unsuited for agriculture or settlement. 

 It is estimated that the area of such lands now in public ownership 

 should be doubled; that is, we should strive for an ultimate area of 

 some 300 million acres. National Forests now aggregate 155 million 

 acres, and State Forests about four million acres, nearly three-fourths 

 of which is held by two States, New York and Pennsylvania. Munici- 

 pal-forest areas are negligible. The acquisition of lands for public 

 forests has been a very slow process, except where such lands have 

 been set aside from the public domain, as has been done with nearly 

 all the National and some State Forests, notably those in the Lake 

 States. The Federal Government has been purchasing lands for Na- 

 tional Forest purposes since 1911, and, in this period of nearly nine 

 years the funds appropriated have amounted to only $11,600,000, and 

 the area acquired totals less than two million acres. The cost per acre 

 has averaged about $5.25. The appropriation recommended for the 

 current fiscal year was $2,000,000 ; Congress cut it to $600,000. The 

 States, with the exception of New York and Pennsylvania, have done 

 comparatively little. New York has acquired nearly two milHon acres 

 for State Forest purposes, and has recently authorized an issue of 

 bonds to the amount of $7,500,000 to supply funds for purchasing addi- 

 tional areas ; Pennsylvania has about one million acres ; Michigan, Wis- 

 consin, and Minnesota have between 300,000 and 400,000 each; ten 



