STATE AID TO PRIVATE OWNERS AND LOCAL POLITICAL UNITS 



By H. J. EBERLY, District Forest Inspector 



Page 



Scope and functions of State aid 1177 



Analysis of State aid by projects 1179 



Analysis of State aid by regions 1 185 



SCOPE AND FUNCTIONS OF STATE AID 



Ownership of the 495 million acres of commercial forest land in the 

 United States is divided as follows : 



Percent 

 Federal 18 



State, county, and municipal 2 



Private 80 



Since 80 percent of our total commercial forest area is in private 

 ownership, embodying a vast amount of public interest and welfare, 

 it is readily apparent that public participation to aid and stimulate 

 private action in forestry is desirable and offers great possibilities of 

 getting something done on an immense forest area. For example, of 

 the total area of privately owned commercial forest lands in need of 

 protection from fire, only a little better than half is at present being 

 protected. 



The Federal Government offers forestry aid in fire protection, 

 planting, and extension work to private owners through the States 

 under the provisions of the Clarke-McNary law. Likewise the several 

 forested States extend aid to private forest owners, and this discussion 

 is for the purpose of evaluating the amount of such aid and of present- 

 ing factual information on the character of such activities. 



All the States, except Arizona, Missouri, and South Dakota, now 

 provide many or all of their private forest landowners with some form 

 of forestry aid. Some States are doing much, others comparatively 

 little, but the basic need and justification of extending aid to private 

 forest owners are given at least formal acknowledgment by all for- 

 ested States. In some instances aid in forestry is extended by coun- 

 ties, towns, and municipalities as well as directly by the State, and in 

 this report all such aid is included as " State aid." 



The character of State aid to private owners is along one or more 

 of the following well defined lines of forestry activity: Protection 

 from forest fires, planting and nursery work, forestry extension, tree 

 disease control, forest insect control, legislation, research, economic 

 and forest surveys. 



It is to be understood that these services, or the part considered 

 here, are those which are performed or financed directly by State (or 

 local) governments and which extend outside the boundaries of 

 publicly owned lands and accrue to the benefit of the private owner. 



State forestry aid, according to its character, may be of direct or 

 indirect assistance to the private owner. Thus, in fire protection, 

 owners receive direct aid through State forces or State funds which 



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