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AMERICAN FORESTRY 



cerned for their approval of the bill and support in the 

 endeavor to have it passed. 



A week following the meeting of October 15, a con- 

 ference of state foresters and forest educators was held 

 for the purpose of discussing and working up a state 

 forestry program. A fundamental statement was pre- 

 pared and this will be submitted to foresters and edu- 

 cators not able to attend, for suggestions, and will then 

 be considered by various organizations interested and 

 concerned in the movement for a forestry program. 

 They will give the state program the assistance needed 

 to secure its enactment by state legislatures. At this 

 conference those present were: Alfred Gaskill, State 



Forester of New Jersey; C. R. Pettis, State Forester of 

 New York ; Forrest H. Colby, State Forester of Maine ; 

 Philip W. Ayres, Society for Protection of New Hamp- 

 shire Forests ; Dr. J. W. Tourney, Dean, Yale Forest 

 School ; Prof. F. F. Moon, Dean, State College of For- 

 estry, Syracuse ; Ralph S. Hosmer, Department of Fores- 

 try, College of Agriculture, Ithaca, New York; J. (i. 

 Peters, Acting Chief, Branch of Forest Management, 

 United States Forest Service ; R. S. Kellogg, News Prim 

 Service Bureau; O. M. Porter, Assistant Secretary, 

 American Paper and Pulp Association, and Hugh P. 

 Baker, Secretary, American Paper and Pulp Association. 



STATE FOREST POLICIES 



THE Committee on Forest Conservation of the Ameri- 

 can Paper and Pulp Association presented at a meet- 

 ing in Chicago, November 11-13, a report on state 

 forest policies adopted after conferences with state for- 

 esters and educators. It was approved by the meeting 

 and is as follows: 



"The responsibility for the carrying out of a National 

 Forest Policy, aside from the administration of govern- 

 ment-owned lands, rests upon the State authorities and 

 private owners, since under our form of government the 

 control of corporate and private activities is retained 

 primarily by the States, and is not delegated to the Fed- 

 eral Government. 



."In order, therefore, to link up National, State and 

 private activities in an effective program, it is necessary 

 that the States in which forest land constitutes any con- 

 siderable factor shall establish essential requirements in 

 protecting timbered and cut-over land from fire, in re- 

 foresting denuded lands, and, where and to the extent 

 necessary, in the cutting and removing of timber crops 

 by such methods as will promote continuous production 

 of timber on lands chiefly suitable therefor. 



"With due regard for all interests concerned, based 

 upon its own experience and study of the question, to- 

 gether with suggestions received from many prominent 

 foresters, your Committee believes that an adequate and 

 effective State Forest Policy should include the following 

 principles and provisions : 



"1. That all soil shall be made productive of the crop 

 to which it is best adapted or for which there is the 

 greatest public need. 



"2. That while agriculture and forestry are based 

 upon soil production, the methods necessary in forestry 

 and the time involved are so different from those of 

 agriculture that forestry demands an entirely different 

 form of administration. 



"3. That State Forest Policies shall be initiated and 

 carried out in co-operation with the National Govern- 

 ment and with private owners wherever and to the full- 

 est extent possible. 



"4. That State Forest Legislation shall establish gen- 

 eral principles and procedure only and vest in a properly 



constituted and non-political body, acting through techni- 

 cally qualified representatives, the responsibility for the 

 fixing of regulations and enforcing them. 



"5. That the paramount and immediate consideration 

 in any Forest Policy is the creation and maintenance of 

 effective means for the prevention and control of fire on 

 all forest lands of whatever ownership, and that every 

 owner of forest land shall be required to conduct opera- 

 tions thereon in such a manner as to avoid creating a 

 fire menace to adjacent property. 



"6. That forest surveys, land classification, forest 

 research and forest education shall be provided for. 



"7. That there shall be such changes and adjustments 

 in prevailing systems of taxation as will enable all forest 

 lands to be equitably taxed thereunder, yet will not dis- 

 courage the holding of private forest land for future 

 crops without impairing local revenues. 



"8. That the state, upon request, shall assist the pri- 

 vate owner of forest lands to make them continuously 

 productive through the preparation of working plans, 

 supplying of planting material and supervision of silvi- 

 cultural operations free of charge or at cost. 



"9. That the state be empowered to take over at a 

 fair valuation and administer as part of the system of 

 public forests any land, which, after competent examina- 

 tion, is classified as suitable only for timber growth, in 

 case the owner refuses to avail himself of the oppor- 

 tunities and assistance provided by the public to en- 

 courage forestry upon private lands. 



"10. That the acquisition of forest land by the State 

 is essential to a sound forest policy. 



"11. That all State-owned forests shall be utilized 

 for continuous production, both for direct returns in 

 forest products and indirect returns in soil protection, 

 game and recreation. 



"12. That all State-owned forest property shall be 

 capitalized upon the records of the administrative body 

 so that all expenses in connection with the development 

 thereof and returns therefrom may be accounted for on 

 a business basis to the people of the state who furnish 

 the funds for the undertaking and enjoy its results." 



