i 4 REPORT OF THE FOREST COMMISSION, 



lands of the State. The record of what these fire lines have done, 

 and especially the action of several roads in maintaining and 

 extending them voluntarily, justifies the assertion that fire lines 

 are an effective and a recognized means of protecting adjacent 

 forests against fires set along the railroads. Fig. 10. 



AIDING WOODLAND OWNERS. 



The second great problem to be solved is the development of 

 private woodlands so that they shall represent actual value to 

 their owners, not merely possible or speculative value as most 

 of them have done heretofore. Only by thus appealing to 

 property interest can material progress be made, since the great 

 bulk of New Jersey's forest is, and is likely to remain, in private 

 possession. The progress in this direction that has already been 

 made is certified by statements of numerous owners that their 

 forests are worth more than they were before the State forest 

 policy gave them' security. The Commission therefore seeks to 

 interest as many owners as possible in their own property, and 

 on merely nominal terms offers to help all who care to ask for 

 assistance. The responses made to this offer are steadily increas- 

 ing, so that in connection with the shade tree work which trie 

 Commission is also doing it has been necessary to provide an 

 additional forester. Though it is difficult to measure the value to 

 the State of a work of this kind, it is clear that if such assist- 

 ance rendered to any property owner means the definite devotion 

 of a given area to forest management a two- fold advantage is 

 gained: first, that a forest from which timber may be derived 

 is established ; and second, that an example to other forest owners 

 is furnished. 



FOREST RESERVES. 



The determination of the Commission to suspend all effort to 

 increase the area of the State's forest reserves in no way lessens 

 its interest in those that have already been acquired, now aggre- 

 gating nearly 14,000 acres. Each tract is under the care of a 

 warden who is especially active in protecting the property against 

 fire. By improvement fellings, by experimental plantings and 



