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fullest extent. Productive land adds to the wealth of a community and 

 state by direct and indirect means. Idle and wild lands are a liability. 



Again the function of state forests would be extended to other purposes 

 of utility. They would serve to protect stream flow and the maintenance of 

 navigable streams. The proposed public forests for Ohio are in a section of 

 broken topography and in close proximity to the Ohio river. 



The state needs, furthermore, publicly owned forests for natural recrea- 

 tion grounds. There are virtually no places existing with proper facilities 

 where citizens of Ohio can secure camping and outing privileges, other than 

 those under private ownership. Trespassing and going onto another's land 

 even with permission is not attractive to most people. State forests with 

 appropriate camping sites would attract people to them. It would add to 

 their usefulness and would serve as a means of education in the aims and 

 purposes of forestry, and would gain support for a policy of forest conser- 

 vation. 



Ohio has approximately 500,000 acres of land which should come under 

 public ownership, at least until economic conditions warrant returning all 

 or part to private ownership under a guarantee of the continuance of 

 sustained yield forests. Our present program contemplated the acquisi- 

 tion of 200,000 acres of cut-over and wild lands in some of the southern 

 Ohio counties. Such purchase would not entail a contiguous area, but 

 would comprise several tracts. A recent detailed survey of Scioto Co. 

 indicates the possibility of acquiring some 75,000 acres in virtually a con- 

 tinuous body. In any case the proposed total acquisition would be so 

 grouped as to render administration easily and economically applied. 

 Authority to purchase lands for state forests was conferred upon the 

 Board of Control of the Ohio Agricultural Experiment Station and suffi- 

 cient appropriations secured to make a beginning, although the two tracts 

 purchased are devoted to experimental and demonstration purposes. An 

 effort therefore must be made to procure adequate appropriations or bond 

 issues to carry out the purchase program as adopted. 



Municipalities can and should take part in the program of forest con- 

 servation. There is ample opportunity in Ohio for a considerable number 

 of cities to acquire lands on broken topography suitable for forests, con- 

 tiguous or in close proximity to the corporate limits. Such tracts would 

 often be partially wooded with native forest, and would require no great 

 amount of artificial forestation. These areas could be converted into 

 natural parks for the benefit of the urban dweller, and at the same time 

 be a factor in timber production. While requiring a monetary outlay 

 at the outset, municipal forests could ultimately be made to pay their way, 

 and in time yield a revenue. It would be well for the people of cities to 

 contrast the usefulness of the relatively inexpensive municipal forest with 

 some of the ostentatious and freakish parks that adorn some of our cities. 

 Ohio now has two city forests, those of Oberlin and Cincinnati. 



Other political subdivisions such as counties and townships should also 

 be authorized to acquire forests or forest parks. In this connection there 

 would be the opportunity to preserve certain forested scenic features. 



Forest protection is coextensive in importance with the acquisition of 

 publicly owned forests. An adequate system for the control and suppres- 



