CHAPTER XVII 

 COUNTY, TOWN, AND COMMUNITY FORESTS 



For many centuries communal forests have been owned and oper- 

 ated successfully in many parts of Europe. The establishment of 

 community forests in this country may be directly attributed to the 

 success attained by these forests in Europe, where in extreme cases the 

 citizens of these towns are free of taxation for schools, roads, police, 

 and fire protection because of the profits obtained from the practice 

 of forestry on lands owned by these communities on the surrounding 

 or adjacent hillsides. 



As early as 1882, Massachusetts authorized the acquisition of mu- 

 nicipal forests. Later, New Jersey in 1906, Pennsylvania in 1909, 

 Minnesota, New Hampshire, and Indiana in 1913, and Vermont in 

 1915 authorized the establishment of the communal forests. The city 

 of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, claims to have established the first town 

 forest under a state law in 1914. The communal forests, or those 

 known as town or county forests, received considerable impetus during 

 the decade after the World War. A special premium was offered to 

 towns in Massachusetts for establishing forests. The Massachusetts 

 Forestry Association was very active in this work. 



In New York, the town and county forest movement has made 

 considerable progress, especially following the law passed at the be- 

 hest of the State Reforestation Commission. State subsidies are 

 offered to counties for the acquisition, planting, and management of 

 county forests. 



Figures by Tillotson show that there are 390 town and municipal 

 forests in New York, 90 in Massachusetts, 82 in New Hampshire, 45 

 in Michigan, 37 in North Carolina, 23 in Ohio, 23 in Connecticut, and 

 several others in Pennsylvania, Alabama, South Carolina, and other 

 states. Altogether there are 801 town and municipal forests in the 

 United States, with a total acreage of 473,000 acres. 



Similarly, the county forest program has enjoyed progress during 

 recent years. In Wisconsin, impetus was given by special legislation 

 providing for state participation in expense. There are 11 county 

 forests in Wisconsin with a total area of more than 46,000 acres. In 



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