' REPORT OF SPECIAL FORESTRY COMMITTEE 55 



acres or more of good farm lands which will accom- 

 modate twelve families and upwards, they might 

 well be opened to settlement. Where communities 

 already exist smaller areas within a reasonable dis- 

 tance of any of them ' should be offered for sale by 

 the State. Then the danger of isolating settlers 

 would be avoided and they would not be deprived 

 of the advantages of community life, schools, roads, 

 churches, accessible markets, etc. We believe, how- 

 ever, that such settlements should be directed so 

 far as possible toward communities already establish- 

 ed until the lands so available are disposed of. 



We don't want to be understood as advising that 

 the State make further purchases of agricultural 

 lands with the idea of disposing of them upon such 

 terms to the settler, other than those which may be 

 unavoidably obtained in the purchase of large tracts. 

 We feel that the competition which would be caused 

 thereby might be injurious to private interests. 

 This plan is recommended solely for the purpose 

 of placing agricultural lands in the hands of actual 

 settlers and encouraging the development of North- 

 eastern Wisconsin making provision so that the 

 forestry policy will be a help and not a hindrance. 



We feel that every effort should be made to retain 

 for the use of the people of the State as much of 

 the lake frontage as possible and that in no event 

 should the State dispose of more than fifty per 

 cent of such lake frontage, meaning thereby that 

 the State should itself retain this percentage on the 

 shore of each lake. 



Where such lands adjoin the lakes, we advise the 

 retention of 500 feet in depth of frontage upon said 

 shores to be held by the State for forestry purposes 

 and such other use as the Forestry Board may re- 

 commend. We don't believe, however, that any 

 sales of lake frontage should be made except where 

 the same is classified as good agricultural land and 

 is within the districts which have been opened for 

 settlement. 



In the vicinity of the permanent forest reserve 



