THE NEW EARTH 



made to arouse general interest in forestry and 

 to redeem the state from the sad condition 

 into which it, with other commonwealths, has 

 fallen by reason of the thoughtlessness and the 

 rapacity of those whose duty lay in providing 

 for the future. 



Some three hundred thousand acres of state 

 land in Wisconsin are now included within the 

 forest reserve. The chief object is to protect 

 the headwaters of the important rivers, and 

 reserve a supply of timber for the industries 

 which are dependent upon the forests for their 

 raw material. State Forester Griffin says, re- 

 garding the outlook: 



" Until we have secured the necessary land, 

 and in a compact body so that we can build 

 fire lines and protect it from fire, we shall 

 probably not do any planting, except on small 

 tracts where the land is unusually clear from 

 slash. At the next session of the legislature, 

 we shall probably attempt to pass a bill ex- 

 empting from taxation lands which are planted 

 with forest trees, at least twelve hundred to 

 the acre, so as to encourage reforestation both 

 by lumber companies and farmers. Many of 

 the lumber companies are practicing a more or 



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