NEW JERSEY 161 



Forest Fire Laws. Entire state under protection. Divided into townships 

 with wardens and deputies. System of telephones and lookout towers. 

 Public recognition of cost of fires and cooperation in protection and fire 

 fighting. 15/100 of one per cent, burned over annually. Permits required 

 for kindling fire on public land. Permits for burning brush in or near 

 woodland. Penalties for carelessness; spark arresters for steam sawmills 

 required. Railroads must use spark arresters, clear rights of way and patrol 

 danger sections in dry season. 



Forest Taxation Laws. Special forest taxation law of 1923 permits classifica- 

 tion of woodlands up to 50 acres. Land taxed as land alone. Owner must 

 grow trees and pay tax for one year at usual rate when timber is cut. 

 (See Forest Taxation.) 



Nurseries. One state nursery with annual production of about 250,000 trees. 

 Adequate to meet state's program, but insufficient to supply public demand. 

 Enlarging nursery as funds are available. 



Other Activities. Blister rust control agents have shown value of contact 

 with landowners in helping them to work out farm management problems. 

 Public interest keen in New Hampshire. State reforesting own lands as 

 rapidly as resources permit. 



NEW JERSEY 



Department of Conservation and Development. (Forest Park Reser- 

 vation Commission created in 1906 and merged into present 

 department in 1915.) 



C. P. Wilber, State Forester, Trenton, New Jersey. 



Land Area of State. 4,808,960 acres. 



Original Forested Area. 4,480,000 acres. 



Present Forest Area. 2,000,000 acres. 



Idle or Unproductive Forest Land. 1,400,000 acres. 



Timber Stand. 1,640,000,000 board feet and 5,000,000 cords fuelwood. 



State Forests. 16,540 acres. 



National Forests within State. None. 



Other Publicly-owned Forest Area. 36,100 acres owned by communities or 

 counties. 



Average Annual Lumber Production. 230,000,000 board feet including all. 



Average Annual Consumption. 600,000,000 board feet. 



Last Annual Appropriation for Forestry. $70,000 for protection; $30,000 

 all other. 



Forest Fire Laws. State fire warden and up to six division fire wardens 

 devoting entire time to forest fire service. Township wardens required, with 

 power to elect deputies. Wardens charged with enforcing all forest statutes 

 and fighting fires. Permits required for fires. Penalties for obstructing 

 wardens, careless or malicious setting of fires, firing or cutting timber on 

 State Forests, Twenty-nine section wardens added October, 1923, each 

 in charge of sub-divisions of the three major divisions. Give part-time 

 service but must spend sufficient time to organize protective work and 

 conduct preventive and control work effective in own section. 



Forest Taxation Laws. No special forest taxation laws. 



