REPORT OF SPECIAL FORESTRY COMMITTEE 49 



The plan has been proposed that the State have 

 small forest reserves in several counties. This plan 

 would not be practicable. Supervision would be 

 expensive; fire protection would be expensive; and 

 either more nurseries would have to be established, 

 the expense of maintaining them being correspond- 

 ingly greater, or plants would have to be transported 

 and planting crews moved from point to point. The 

 whole expense would be increased, and the main 

 object of forest reserves would be defeated if they 

 were not located on the headwaters of the important 

 rivers. 



The present holdings are ample upon which to 

 demonstrate what Wisconsin can accomplish in this 

 work. The claim is made that if these lands are not 

 fit for agricultural purposes the State cannot lose by 

 reason of delaying their purchase; that certainly they 

 will not increase in value unless they have some 

 agricultural worth. This however, is not true. This 

 beautiful lake region is bound to become the mecca 

 for sportsmen, health seekers and resorters. The 

 lake frontages are now eagerly sought, and much of 

 the opposition to the present forestry policy is occas- 

 ioned by the demand for sites upon these beautiful 

 bodies of water. This alone is bound to increase the 

 value of these lands. 



Another thing that will add to their value is the 

 growth of timber upon them. While the modern 

 lumberman scoffs at the idea that there is any value 

 in the timber that has been left, it will only take a 

 few years to demonstrate otherwise. Looking back 

 over the last few years of lumbering one finds that 

 species of timber considered practically valueless 

 twenty-five years ago are now in great demand and 

 that prices for the so-called inferior grades of all 

 timber have increased while the better grades have 

 no more than held their own. The demand for pulp- 

 wood, ties and other products of a like nature will 

 make all of the growing timber in this district of 

 inestimable value; so that the Forestry Board's 

 opportunity for purchasing lands is now at its very 



