308 BOARD OF AGRICULTURE. [Pub. Doc. 



Law providing for Better Forest Fire Protection. 

 What is considered by many to be the most valuable piece of 

 legislation relating to forestry that has been enacted for many 

 years is the law which empowered the State Forester to appoint 

 an assistant to have charge of the forest fire problem in Massa- 

 chusetts, aided by an efficient corps of deputies. The work al- 

 ready accomplished under this law is extremely gratifying, and, 

 with the system and organization planned for next season put 

 in operation, will without doubt result in reducing very materially 

 the losses we have annually suffered from forest fires. The follow- 

 ing is the law in full: — 



Chapter 722. 



An Act to PROvmE for the Better Prevention of Forest Fires. 

 Be it enacted, etc., as Jolloivs: 



Section 1. The state forester is hereby empowered to appoint an 

 assistant to be known as the state fire warden, whose special duty it shall 

 be to aid and advise the forest wardens and their deputies in towns and 

 the municipal officers exercising the functions of forest wardens in cities, 

 in preventing and extinguishing forest fires and in enforcing the laws 

 relative to forest fires, and may from time to time designate not more than 

 fifteen deputies to aid such state fire warden in the discharge of his duties. 



Section 2. The state fire warden appointed under the terms of section 

 one shall report annually upon his work and upon the forest fires occurring 

 in the commonwealth, and his report shall be included in and be printed 

 as a part of the state forester's annual report. 



Section 3. The deputies of the fish and game commissioners shall 

 report to the state fire warden the situation and extent of any forest fire 

 occurring within the district to which they are assigned, and they shall re- 

 port to him monthly their doings under chapter two hundred and ninety- 

 nine of the acts of the year nineteen hundred and seven. 



Section 4. The sum of ten thousand dollars is hereby appropriated 

 to carry out the provisions of this act during the year nineteen hundred 

 and eleven. 



Section 5. This act shall take effect upon its passage. [A-pproved July 

 18, 1911. 



Constitutional Am'endment relative to the Taxation of Wild or Forest 



Lands. 

 The desirability of a change in the method of taxing forest lands 

 in ^Massachusetts was clearly shown by the report of a special 

 committee appointed in 1905 to investigate the subject, and the 



