734 A NATIONAL PLAN FOB AMERICAN FORESTRY 



Unquestionably, however, the present diversity of State forest 

 policies would be enormously greater had it not been for the effect 

 upon the States of Federal activities and policies. Indirectly, 

 Federal forestry has had a pronounced influence by force of example 

 and suggestion. Directly, it has done much both to stimulate action 

 and to determine the line of action, through cooperative and other 

 aid. 



DIVERSITIES WITHIN REGIONS 



The individuality of State forest policies comes out when States in 

 the same general region are compared with one another. Some of 

 the more striking contrasts which are revealed in the northeastern 

 States will serve for illustration. 



The three northern New England States are predominantly rural 

 and have a high percentage of their area in forest. In Maine, forests 

 occupy 76 percent of the land area; in New Hampshire, 77 percent; 

 and in Vermont, 55 percent. State forestry in Maine is almost 

 entirely limited to protection. Most of the forest area of Maine is 

 in the so-called unorganized towns that is, the wilderness part of 

 the State. From 70 to 75 percent of the total cost of maintaining the 

 fire-protective system is provided by a special tax levied on property 

 most of which lies in these unorganized towns; virtually, therefore, 

 Maine goes on the principle that the property protected should bear 

 most of the burden. The State does not do much to aid private 

 forestry through investigation and advice except that it is outstanding 

 in its investigations of forest insects and advice for their control. 

 Its forestry activities head up in a commissioner of forestry, who is 

 also in charge of the handling of all the State's lands. The commis- 

 sioner is appointed directly by the governor, for a 4-year term, and 

 need not be a technically trained forester. Nor, in point of fact, is 

 there any strong reason why he should be, with the field of activity 

 what it is in Maine. It is nevertheless noticeable that of his year- 

 long force 13 are technical men and only 4 nontechnical. The total 

 1931-32 appropriation of the department for all purposes is at the 

 rate of 1.34 cents per acre for all the forest land (other than Federal) 

 in the State, and more than 91 percent of the total is for protection 

 against fire, disease, and insects. 



In New Hampshire and Vermont, while the law in neither case 

 requires that the head of the forestry department shall be a trained 

 forester, the positions are filled by trained foresters, and it is pretty 

 safe to say that they always will be, for the scope of the job recog- 

 nizedly calls for a technical forester. In Vermont the commissioner 

 of forestry is appointed for a 2-year period by the governor, with the 

 advice and consent of the senate. In New Hampshire the State 

 forester is responsible to a commission consisting of three members, 

 appointed by the governor, with the advice of the council, for over- 

 lapping 3-year terms. New Hampshire has nearly 33,000 acres in 

 State forests under administration, and Vermont nearly 41,000 acres. 

 In New Hampshire the acquisition of further land for State forests is 

 at present in abeyance, and there is no definite program for building 

 up a larger State forest system. In Vermont the continuation of 

 purchases is intended, subject of course to the condition of the State's 

 finances, up to 100,000 acres. In both New Hampshire and Vermont 

 the maintenance of the fire-protective system is regarded primarily 



