MANAGEMENT OF THE STATE FORESTS OF PENNSYLVANIA 



341 



and to the fullest extent. However, it cannot operate 

 alone, but must be supplemented with material and 

 supplied with adequate funds. The material equipment 

 now present upon the State forests, consisting of 9 steel 

 observation towers and- more than 125 wooden and tree 

 towers, many miles of usable roads, lanes and trails, an 

 extensive network of telephone lines and much other 

 essential material, does not comprise all that is desired, 

 nor is the present available appropriation of $50,000 per 

 year for the handling of forest fires in all parts of the 

 State adequate, yet the effect of a favorable public senti- 

 mcnt supporting forestry and the co-operation of the 



THE HOME OF A PENNSYLVANIA FOREST RANGER 



Tlie home is owned by the State and located on a high plateau within a 

 State Forest and near an excellent observation point. 



public in the prevention and extinction of forest fires is 

 reflected in the following table, which shows the improve- 

 ment in the forest fire situation on State-owned land 

 during the past seven years : 



Area of State Percentage of 



Year. Forest Land Total Area 



Burned (Acres). Burned. 



1913 80,154.00 8.06% 



1914 19,412.25 1.94 



1915 36,689.00 3.65 



1916 23,318.75 2.30 



1917 14,441.90 1.42 



1918 16,600.16 1.61 



1919 13,298.25 1.27 

 If forest fires are kept out of the forests, nature 



will in most places reclothe the soil with a woody 

 growth. Nature's methods, however, are slow 

 and uncertain and the resulting stands are often 

 unsatisfactory in condition and inferior in com- 

 position. Consequently, it soon became evident 

 everywhere in the handling of the State forests 

 that nature's results require supplementing by 

 planting valuable young forest trees. 



Planting has been in progress on the State 

 Forests since 1899, and to date (January 1, 1920) 



A STATE FOREST ROAD AND TELEPHONE LINE 



Both were constructed and are being maintained by Hie Pennsylvania 

 Department of Forestry. 



over 33,000,000 trees have been set out. While most of 

 the planting was experimental and comprised exotic as 

 well as native species, yet about 75 per cent of the trees 

 set out are still living, and most of these are making 

 satisfactory growth. The planting of so large a number 

 of trees required an expenditure of $204,425.93, which 

 amount may seem large, but a careful study of the total 

 expenditures of the Department of Forestry will show 

 that only 3^ per cent was used in reforestation work. 

 Such an expenditure is surely permissible, for in the 

 normally stocked and intensively managed forests of 

 Bavaria an allotment of 9 to 10 per cent of the total 

 expenditure is made for reforestation. Inadequately and 

 improperly stocked stands must be built up and 

 improved. Protection alone will not do this work satis- 

 factorily. A balanced development of a forest business 

 is needed, which implies adequate protection, some plant- 

 ing, much natural regeneration and considerable improve- 



A PENNSYLVANIA FORESTER'S HOME AND HEADQUARTERS 



The house is owned by the State and located within the State Forest, in charge ot 



the forester. 



