to find a forest within reasonable distance of a town. In the 

 Northeastern states a large per cent of the towns and cities 

 have within their reach waste lands or lands suitable for tim- 

 ber growing that could be bought cheaply and turned into 

 forests. 



The New England states in particular are specially adapted 

 to this system. Massachusetts alone has approximately one 

 million acres, or a fifth of its area, which is wild or waste 

 land, but which is well suited to growing trees. Why should 

 not the towns take up sections of this waste area and grad- 

 ually turn them into town forests? There is no conservation 

 measure which will mean so much to the local community and 

 the state as a whole as will this procedure. Not only will 

 waste lands be converted into profit-sharing areas, but the 

 people who are denied the pleasure of exercise and recreation 

 in the forests will have a place to retire from the strife of 

 business, into the restful atmosphere of a cool and refresh- 

 ing forest. We can't begin too soon, and just last year the 

 Massachusetts Forestry Association procured the "Public Do- 

 main Bill," which permits towns and cities in the common- 

 wealth to buy land for the purpose of operating town forests, 

 like those of Germany. Pennsylvania has a similar law. It 

 will be only a few years until all the states will have such 

 laws, once it is shown what can be done by towns in this 

 way. The application of business principles, and the employ- 

 ment of forestry knowledge will give to nearly every town 

 and city the advantage of having a self-supporting forest 

 which will be a park, bird sanctuary, game preserve, protec- 

 tion to the watershed, purifier of the waters, wind-break, if 

 properly located, and a health restorer to the whole com- 

 munity, all in one. The cost can easily be distributed over a 

 great many years, and the future generations will not only 

 be glad to pay their share, but will be grateful to us for the 

 inheritance, even though they are required to help pay for it. 



Pennsylavina has about seven and one-half million acres of 

 timber land, one-eighth of which is owned by the state. The total 

 value of the state's timber is one hundred and thirty-nine million 

 dollars. 



10 



