1905 



FORESTRY AND IRRIGATION 



111 



vation and would be appraised for tax- 

 ation at one dollar per acre. The land 

 to be thus exempted must contain at 

 least one hundred and seventy trees 

 per acre, either naturally or artificially 

 propagated, and must not be pastured 

 until the trees have attained a diameter 

 of four inches. The act makes further 

 attempt at specifications which are in 

 themselves devoid of tangible princi- 

 ple. The law has in it much that is 



effort in the creating of a forest policy. 

 The exemption act of 1899 was given 

 a better trial, but has not proved suc- 

 cessful. Of the many exemptions 

 made, fully 99 per cent, were found 

 upon examination to have failed to 

 meet the requirements of the law and 

 were rejected. From this it can be 

 inferred either that there exists a 

 dearth of eligible woodlands or that 

 the owners of such were either igno- 



View ot a ravine near Crawfordsville, showing the work of trees in holding the 

 soil from washing. The steep slopes and shallow soil are capable of growing 

 good timber. 



good, but the results of its operation 

 demonstrated the difficult of accom- 

 plishing much without provision for 

 education. No attempt was made to 

 direct the owner in his efforts to bring 

 his depleted forests to the standard 

 where exemption could be secured and 

 consequently the total acreage was not 

 increased. 



The following year a State Board 

 of Forestry was created and estab- 

 lished which materially increased the 

 public interest in forest matters and 

 marked the beginning of organized 



rant of the law or did not regard the 

 financial consideration a sufficient in- 

 ducement. In many instances the 

 county auditors and assesors have used 

 their influence against the law's exe- 

 cution. The Board is now urging that 

 the act be repealed. 



The next important step was the en- 

 actment of a law approved March 3, 

 1903, entitled "An act to provide for 

 the purchase of land by the State 

 Board of Forestry for the purpose of 

 a State forest reservation, laboratory 

 of forestry demonstration, and State 



