PROGRESS IN STATE FORESTRY 99 



been made in fire protection. All states having 

 forestry departments lay especial emphasis upon 

 forest protection, since it is recognized that only 

 by protecting the forests from fire is it possible 

 to succeed in growing timber crops. In fact, in 

 most cases, the prevention of fire in itself is 

 sufficient to insure re-growth and productive 

 forests. Pennsylvania is spending $500,000 an- 

 nually in protecting her forests from fire. The 

 cooperation of the Federal Government, under 

 a provision of the Weeks Law which appropri- 

 ates small sums of money for forest protection, 

 provided the state will appropriate an equal or 

 greater amount, has done much to encourage the 

 establishment of systems of forest protection in 

 many of the states. 



The enormous areas of denuded, or waste 

 land in the various states, comprising more than 

 80,000,000 acres, which can be made again pro- 

 ductive only by forest planting, present another 

 big problem in state forestry. Many of the 

 states have established state forestry nurseries 

 for the growing of tree seedlings to plant up these 

 lands. The trees are either given away, or sold 

 at cost, millions being distributed each year, indi- 



