THE TRAIL AHEAD~HOW TO PUT FORESTRY 



By C. L. Harrington, Commissioner, 



VIRGIN PINE ON STATE LAND AT TROUT LAKE, WISCONSIN. 

 WORTH $600 AN ACRE ON THE STUMP. 



THIS TIMBER 



'T'O understand the trail 

 head in Wisconsin for- 

 estry, one must have some 

 knowledge of the trail be- 

 hind. Forestry is not a new 

 thing in this state. As early 

 as 1867 a special commission 

 was appointed under legisla- 

 tive direction to inquire into 

 the effects of forest destruc- 

 tion on the watersheds of 

 the streams of the state, and 

 also on the effects of forest 

 iires. This commission looked 

 into these matters and left 

 their impressions in a very 

 interesting report, interest- 

 ing especially from present 

 day development. Again in 

 1898 a report was made on 

 Wisconsin forest resources 

 and problems. Not until 

 1903, however, was there any 

 materially important legisla- 

 tion for forest protection en- 

 acted, but in that year the 

 State Board of Forestry was 

 established and the first real 

 efforts made to outline a 

 forest policy. 



Supreme Couft's Fatal 

 Decision 



From that time on until 

 about 1913 a rather ambi- 

 tious program was carried 

 on, which included the pur- 

 chase of lands for forest 

 reserves, the establishment 

 of a fire protective system, 

 the construction of ranger 

 stations, lookouts, trails, 

 roads, nurseries, and the 

 customary work of develop- 

 ing a forest property. In 

 1913, however, largely out of a series of misunderstandings and perhaps out of a too ambitious program 

 on the part of the Forestry Board, difficulties began to arise and a very active opposition to the forestry plan 

 arose. The whole matter was precipitated in an action before the Supreme Court, and in its opinion, handed 



I.N TIIK NINETIES THE STATE OF WISCONSIN SOLD 32.000 ACRES OF ITS BKT P'VE 



LAND, WITH TIMBER. FOR LESS THAN |10 AN ACRE. A FEW YEARS LATER THE 



TIMBER HAD BEEN CUT AND THE LAND LOOKED LIKE THIS. 



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