18 



MASS. EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETIN 294 



Possibilities of Extending Land Areas in Public Ownership 



After making a special survey, a committee appointed by the Governor of the 

 Commonwealth recently presented a tentative plan for the development and 

 enlargement of the present areas held by the State and other public and semi- 

 public bodies. The basic recommendations of the plan include a proposal for a 

 considerable extension of the land areas held in public ownership in various 

 sections of the State. 



Public and Semi-Public Areas in Massachusetts. 



In any attempt to include new areas in public ownership, careful consideration 

 should be given to the general effect on the rural communities concerned, which 

 may be affected adversely if indiscriminate extension of public ownership is made. 

 The indications are that public ownership will of necessity take care of only 

 a minor portion of the land which is available for recreational and forestry uses. 

 The main problem lies with the utilization of these areas under private ownership, 

 which will include both forestry and other uses. In many communities, with im- 

 provement of roads and increase of population, there is likely to be a considerable 

 development of part-time farming. For this reason caution should be exercised 

 in acquiring present areas for public forests. Likewise, it is important to see that 

 the development of forestry in any particular town does not encroach upon the 

 farming or local population. This condition will arise if the town receipts from 

 public land are not equivalent to what may accrue to the town from other uses 

 of the land within the near future. In extending public ownership in any parti- 

 cular locality, therefore, the immediate prospects for land utilization as well as the 



