"This entire subject comes back to the fact that the 

 fur business is directly in league with the forest inter- 

 ests, because of the impossibility of having fur-bear- 

 ing animals without forests and water, their natural 

 habitat." 



FORESTRY LEGISLATION 



THE forest legislation presented to the present ses- 

 sion of the legislature by the State Forester em- 

 bodies a comprehensive and clean-cut plan of forest 

 protection and development over a long period of 

 years. Forestry is a long time proposition and hence 

 must be financed and planned well in advance. 



1. In order that funds be provided on a more regular 

 basis there is proposed a forest tax levy. The bill is 

 now before the legislature. It will provide approxi- 

 mately $370,000 per annum for the Forest Service. 

 This, under present conditions is the smallest amount 

 which will make possible reasonable safety of life and 

 property in the timber country. In fire prevention ex- 

 perience has shown that chief reliance must be placed 

 in rangers and forest patrolmen but auxiliary forces 

 are helpful at times and under certain conditions. 



2. The next measure of importance is to establish a 

 closed season on burning in the coniferous forest re- 

 gions of the state except under permit issued by forest 

 officers. This will curb the carelessness w r hich has 

 proven so disastrous nearly everywhere in the woods. 

 The rangers will then know where fires exist and at 

 the same time settlers will be enabled to use fire syste- 

 matically in land development. 



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