REPORT OF SPECIAL FORESTRY COMMITTEE 53 



taining a forest reserve, namely, to secure a future 

 supply of timber and regulate the flow of streams, 

 has a beautiful natural lake and park region, already 

 patronized by thousands of people, to preserve for 

 posterity. 



We recommend the retention by the State of its 

 holdings in the proposed forest reserve area; and 

 further recommend the sale of all scattering holdings 

 outside thereof. We consider it advisable that future 

 purchases be limited to the said area and as nearly as 

 possible to lands not now suited to agriculture. Upon 

 the sale of the good agricultural lands the money 

 should be reinvested in non-agricultural lands. 



In acquiring lands in the future, which must be 

 bought in large tracts in order to get them at a 

 low price, the Forestry Board will obtain many 

 acres of good farm lands. This cannot work harm 

 in the settlement of the community if a proper 

 method of disposing of them to actual settlers shall 

 be found. In fact, one of the great hindrances to 

 the settlement of all of Northern Wisconsin is the 

 high price and hard conditions under which the 

 actual settler purchases. Some plan must be de- 

 vised by which these agricultural lands can be 

 placed upon the market in such a way that the 

 actual settler may be able to secure them at some- 

 where near the price now paid by the State. That 

 settlers should be obliged to pay ten and fifteen 

 dollars when lands equally as good can be purchased 

 by the State in large tracts at as low an average as 

 $3.32 an acre is unreasonable. If farmers in some 

 of our older communities could buy farm lands in 

 Northern Wisconsin for $4 an acre on long-time 

 payments at a low 7 rate of interest the increase in 

 settlement would be manyfold. Some limitation, 

 however, must be put upon the sales to be made 

 by the State Board of Forestry and such conditions 

 annexed that only the actual settler can buy these 

 lands; otherwise, they will simply get back into the 

 hands of speculators and the price will be the same 

 as for which other lands are now held. 



