FORESTRY MOVEMENT IN UNITED STATES. 391 



students has increased to 65 (fall, 1902), and the 

 1 8 graduates and special students, who have been 

 sent out from this first professional school, have 

 found ready employment in the federal and state 

 service or with private employers. 



The state which, next to New York, has most 

 progressed in the direction of a forest policy is 

 Pennsylvania. Through the efforts of the State 

 Forestry Association, a commission of inquiry was 

 first created in 1893, and before its report was 

 published, in 1895, provision was also made for a 

 commissioner of forestry as an organic division of 

 the newly created department of agriculture. 

 Through the effort of the commissioner, Dr. Roth- 

 rock, important legislation was had in 1897, and 

 in 1901 the division became a separate depart- 

 ment of forestry, and a state forest reservation 

 commission was created. 



The most important legislation of 1897, besides 

 improving the forest fire laws, and relieving forest- 

 lands under certain conditions from taxation (see 

 p. 247), is that " authorizing the purchase by the 

 Commonwealth of unseated lands for the nonpay- 

 ment of taxes, for the purpose of creating a state 

 forest reservation," and another act, providing for 

 the immediate establishment of three definite reser- 

 vations in the three large drainage areas of the state. 

 Under these acts, some 400,000 acres have been 

 reserved. A second state had recognized the 

 propriety of state forests. 



