35 



Besides these there are other forest activities which either the Federal 

 Government or the states have been conducting independently, such as 

 an investigation of the forest tax problem, a survey of forest resources, 

 land classification, and research. There is no question whatever about 

 their importance, but co-operative effort in carrying the work on is not 

 essential, although in some instances it would be beneficial. 



One of the chief features of any forest program must be the acquisition 

 by the public of lands unsuited for agriculture or settlement. It is esti- 

 mated that the area of such lands now in public ownership should be 

 doubled, that is, we should strive for an ultimate area of some three hun- 

 dred million acres. National Forests now aggregate one hundred fifty-five 

 million acres; and state forests about four million, nearly three-fourths 

 of which is held by two states New York and Pennsylvania. Municipal 

 forest areas are negligible. Except where the lands for public forests have 

 been set aside from the public domain, as has been the case with nearly 

 all the National Forests and some State Forests, notably those in the Lake 

 States, the acquisition of such lands has been a very slow process. The 

 Federal Government has been purchasing lands for National Forest pur- 

 poses since 1911 and, in this period of nearly nine years, the funds appro- 

 priated have amounted to only $11,600,000 and the area acquired totals 

 less than two million acres. The cost per acre has averaged about five 

 dollars and twenty-five cents. The appropriation recommended for the 

 current fiscal year was two million dollars ; congress cut it to six hundred 

 thousand dollars. The states, with the exception of New York and Penn- 

 sylvania, have done comparatively little. New York has acquired nearly 

 two million acres for State Forest purposes, and has recently authorized 

 an issue of seven million five hundred thousand dollars of bonds to supply 

 funds for purchasing additional areas ; Pennsylvania has about one million 

 acres; Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota between three hundred thou- 

 sand and four hundred thousand each ; ten other states have forests ranging 

 in area from sixty thousand acres to less than one thousand. 



As the bulk of the area to be acquired will necessarily have to be pur- 

 chased, the cost will amount to at least three-quarters of a billion dollars. 

 But at the present rate of acquisition, no material accomplishment can be 

 hoped for in a long time. Especially is this the case with the states, as 

 has been shown. Therefore, it is desirable not only to speed up appro- 

 priations by congress and the state legislature but, at the same time, to 

 devise a plan by which the Federal Government can aid the states. I 

 am convinced that some co-operative plan for encouraging the states to 

 adopt an adequate purchase policy is needed. I suggest that the Govern- 

 ment loan to the states the necessary funds subject to the approval of the 

 National Forest Reservation Commission, which is the commission that 

 approves the purchase of lands for National Forests. The Government 

 should obtain the funds through the issue of bonds, and the loans should 

 be made on a long-term basis. The National Forest Reservation Commis- 

 sion would make the actual purchases subject to the approval of the sim- 

 ilar State commission, and the Government would be secured in the 

 transaction by retaining title to the lands until the debt was liquidated. 

 At the same time tha State would be the custodian of the property and 



