STATE WORK 



307 



The New Minnesota Law 



After a somewhat protracted fight the 

 Minnesota legislature has passed a compre- 

 hensive state forest law "to provide for the 

 preservation of forests in this state and for 

 reforestation and for the prevention and 

 suppression of forest and prairie fires." 

 The act repeals earlier laws inconsistent 

 with it. It establishes a state forestry 

 board, with a state forester, and a suitable 

 appropriation, and it removes the incon- 

 sistency of a forestry board without power, 

 and a forestry commissioner serving under 

 the state auditor. The text of the act is 

 given herewith, as it will be of great in- 

 terest to students of state forestry legis- 

 lation: 



Section 1. There shall be a state forestry 

 board, of nine members, composed of the 

 director of the forestry school and the dean 

 of the agricultural college of the University 

 of Minnesota and seven others appointed 

 by the governor, for a term of four years 

 and until their successors qualify. Three 

 of said members shall be appointed upon 

 the recommendation of the regents of the 

 university, and, of the other four, one shall 

 be appointed upon the recommendation of 

 each of the following bodies: The State 

 Forestry Association, the State Agricultu- 

 ral Society, the State Horticultural Society, 

 and the State Game and Fish Commission 

 provided suitable persons be recommend- 

 ed by them to the governor not later than 

 January 31 of the year in which such terms 

 expire. All vacancies shall be filled the 

 same as the original appointments. The 

 members now in office shall hold through 

 the terms for which they were respectively 

 appointed. So far as practicable, all such 

 appointees shall be appointed with refer- 

 ence to their knowledge of and interest in 

 the planting and cultivation of trees in 

 prairie regions, the preservation of natu- 

 ral forests, the reforesting of denuded 

 lands, and the protection of the sources of 

 streams. 



Sec. 2 The State Forestry Board shall 

 appoint a secretary at a salary not to ex- 

 ceed eighteen hundred (1800) dollars per 

 annum, whose duties shall be prescribed by 

 the board. 



Sec. 3. The board shall have the manage- 

 ment of the forest reserves and of all other 

 property acquired therefor, supervise all 

 matters of forest protection and reforesta- 

 tion and have charge of all moneys appro- 

 priated therefor or accruing therefrom, in- 

 cluding the forest reserve fund and the for- 

 est service fund. It shall ascertain and 

 observe the best methods of reforesting 

 cut-over and denuded lands, foresting 

 waste and prairie lands, preventing de- 

 struction of forests and lands by fire, ad- 

 ministering forests on forestry principles, 

 encouraging private owners to preserve 

 and grow timber for commercial purposes, 

 and conserving the forests around the head 



waters of streams and on the watersheds 

 of the state, and shall collect information 

 regarding the timber lands owned by the 

 state. On or before the first Monday in 

 December of each year the board shall re- 

 port its doings, conclusions and recommen- 

 dations, and any damage caused by forest 

 and prairie fires and any trespassing upon 

 the state lands to the governor, which 

 report shall be printed and distributed to 

 the members of the legislature and other- 

 wise as the board may direct. 



Sec. 4. The board shall elect a president 

 and vice president annually. It may ap- 

 point an executive committee on which 

 it may confer authority to act for it in 

 minor details which cannot conveniently be 

 acted upon by the board. The board shall 

 appoint a state forester who shall be a 

 trained forester, at a salary not to exceed 

 four thousand (4,000) dollars per annum, 

 and he shall be allowed necessary traveling 

 and field expenses incurred in the conduct of 

 his official duties. The office of the state 

 forester shall be at the state capitol and 

 the board is hereby authorized to employ 

 such office assistants as may be necessary 

 and to fix their compensation. The state 

 forester, with the approval of the state 

 forestry board, may appoint an assistant 

 forester and such other employes, outside 

 of the office assistants, as may be neces- 

 sary in carrying out the provisions of this 

 act and fix the amount of their compen- 

 sation; and the state forester shall have 

 the power to remove any of such subordi- 

 nate officers and employes so appointed by 

 him. He shall be authorized under the 

 direction and approval of the state forestry 

 board to purchase all necessary equipment, 

 ins^'uments and field supplies. A full and 

 accurate account of all receipts and ex- 

 penditures incurred in the carrying out of 

 the provisions of this act, with such vouch- 

 ers and forms as may be recommended by 

 the state public examiner, shall be kept in 

 a system of books prescribed by such exam- 

 iner. The state forester shall execute all 

 rules and regulations issued by the state 

 forestry board pertaining to forestry and 

 forest protection within the jurisdiction of 

 the state; have charge of the work of pro- 

 tecting all forests and lands from fire; 

 shall investigate the origin of all forest 

 fires, and prosecute all violators of this 

 act; shall prepare and print for public 

 distribution an abstract of the forest fire 

 laws of Minnesota, together with such 

 rules and regulations as may be formulated 

 by the state forestry board. He shall pre- 

 pare printed notices calling attention to 

 the dangers from forest fires and cause 

 them to be posted in conspicuous places, 

 and shall furnish same to the railroad com- 

 panies whose duty it shall be to post 

 them in such places as he may direct. 



Sec. 5. The state forester shall become 

 familiar with the location and area of all 



