mission is timid and makes no particular plan 

 but agrees that our present method rather 

 discourages the holding 'of forests and thus 

 leads to exploitation and devastation. That 

 this is a very serious matter is realized by 

 most people and it would seem that the time 

 has come when the State should step in and 

 assert its power with regard to the forest and 

 demand its proper treatment and preservation 

 in the interest of "all the people." 



In its recommendations and drafts of bills 

 for the coming session of the Legislature the 

 commission places itself on the broad founda- 

 tion of the general welfare of the State. It 

 assumes that the tax lands (practically all the 

 State lands left) have -been "sifted" by our 

 taxation methods, so that they represent the 

 "culls;" that they are widely scattered and do 

 not occupy entire counties; in fact, in no case 

 over 27 per cent of any county. Also that 

 the forest is the only safe and natural crop 

 to be expected from these lands; that this 

 crop will largely come without planting, but 

 does require adequate protection against fire. 

 It also assumes that the State cannot be ex- 

 pected to do all there is need for in the mat- 

 ter of reforestation and that, therefore, the 

 State must make it possible and give encour- 

 agement to private owners of land to take a 

 part in this work. 



Accordingly the commission submits and 

 recommends four distinct measures in which 

 the following points appear most salient: 



Law Concerning the Lands. 



1. The State withdraws at once all tax and 

 tax homestead lands until the legislature can 

 decide more fully what the project proposed 

 shall be, and thereby put a stop to the waste 

 set forth above. That this should be done 



