212 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



The cost of such protection, within limits prescribed by 

 the act, becomes a lien against the property. At the same 

 time the state itself expends a considerable sum for a 

 system of lire wardens ui>on which the entire protective 

 organization is built up and correlated. 



In many cases, the protection of cut-over forest lands 

 from fire is sufficient. In other cases it should be supple- 

 mented by the enforcement of simple forestry measures, 

 such as the disposal of slashings and the regulation of 

 cutting to make certain that the land will be left in a con- 

 dition which will insure its rcgrowth. 



Taxation of Forest Lands 



With public regulation, however, should go a vigor- 

 ous encouragement of private owners to keep their forest 

 lands continuously at work and thus do away with the 

 economic loss represented by the idleness of millions of 

 acres of "skinned " land. Such encouragement is justified 

 by the community lx>nefits afforded by the reforestation 

 of private lands and the burdens imposed upon their owner 



in deferring income from them. The community may 

 share in these burdens, as it shares in the advantages of 

 reforestation, by applying the yield, or harvest, tax to 

 forest lands which are properly managed so as to meet 

 their public obligations. The owner thus will be released 

 from the burden of annual property taxes, paying instead 

 a tax on the returns from his property at the intervals 

 when its wood crops arc harvested. This concession, of 

 course, should apply only to owners whose lands are kept 

 in continuous forest production. 



A number of the states have taken progressive steps 

 in accord with some of these suggestions. Their local for- 

 est departments furnish the ground work for building up 

 and expanding the forest activities of the state. The 

 Department of Agriculture also stands ready to give aid 

 and encouragement. Experts of the Forest Service are 

 available to advise with state legislatures regarding forest 

 legislation and to cooperate with state commissions or 

 local associations of citizens in developing the forest 

 policy of the state. 



NEBRASKA'S FORESTATION COMMISSION 



BY WOODRUFF BALL, SECRETARY 



THE State Forestation Commission of Nebraska has 

 drafted for presentation to the Legislature, four 

 bills. One provides for the creation of a permanent 

 Forestry Commission; one for an exchange between the 

 State and Government of the State school lands upon the 

 present National Forest Reserves; two will permit of the 

 counties, cities of all classes and villages of the State es- 

 tablishing and maintaining municipal or communal for- 

 ests, with power to vote bonds for their purchase and levy 

 taxes for the maintenance thereof, the intent being that 

 these communal forests may also be used for public park 

 purposes and a protection of the potable water sources. 

 The Commission has taken this step in hopes of thereby 

 awakening an interest in similar work on the part of the 

 State Government itself. 



The Commission was created in 1913 to investigate 

 the feasibility and desirability of afforesting the State 

 school lands in Western Nebraska, that region of the State 

 which is commonly termed the "Sand Hills." The mem- 

 bers are Carl Rhode of Columbus, A. H. Metzgcr of Rolf 

 and Woodruff Ball of Valentine. 



After a careful survey of conditions, the Commission 

 shortly following its appointment arrived at the conclu- 

 sion that at that time the forestation of the school sec- 

 tions or State land was not feasible owing to the fact that 

 these State school lands were in isolated tracts of 640 

 acres each. Wherefore, the cost of planting and main- 

 tenance would be prohibitive. They further found that 

 in view of the work accomplished by the Government 

 Forestry Service upon its two reserves in Western 

 Nebraska, to wit, the Bcssey Division and the Niobrara 

 Division, that under proper conditions such a policy as 



was contemplated in the resolution could be carried to a 

 successful conclusion. 



In the forepart of 1914, the Forestry Service had under 

 consideration the elimination of the Niobrara Division 

 in its entirety and parts of the Bessey Division from the 

 Nebraska National Forest areas. The Commission was 

 able to but demonstrate to the Forestry Service that it 

 was inadvisable to do so and was able to secure an addi- 

 tional appropriation for the Forestry Service which has 

 enabled it to establish upon the Niobrara Division a 

 second nursery to be used in connection with their opera- 

 tions upon this Division. The Commission further se- 

 cured a soil survey of the two Divisions which conclusively 

 demonstrated that the lands embraced within these Divi- 

 sions could not be classified as agricultural land and hence 

 was not available for homesteading purposes. This, in view 

 of the additional fact that the Forestry Service is meeting 

 with great success in its plantations, has doubtless put an 

 end for all time to the question of further eliminations. 



The Commission, recognizing the fact that the late Dr. 

 Charles E. Bessey of the Nebraska State University was 

 primarily responsible for the establishment of the Nebraska 

 National Forests, felt that it would be a most fitting me- 

 morial and monument to Dr. Bessey 's memory to name for 

 him one of the Divisions. Acting upon their suggestion, the 

 Forestry Service last fall officially designated the former 

 Loup Division and Halscy Nursery as the Bessey Division 

 and Bessey Nursery of the Nebraska National Forests. The 

 Commission has now made a further suggestion to the For- 

 estry Service that it designate the Niobrara Division and 

 Niobrara Nursery as the Morton Division and Morton 

 Nursery in honor of the late Honorable J. Sterling Morton. 



