STATE LAWS FOR PROMOTION OF TREE-PLANTING. 213 



if needed for repair of roads, and thoy are subject to tbe owner's control 

 as to placing or removal, but not to obstruct or injure tbe bighway. — 

 (I7>., G74 ) 



WISCONSIN. 



AiST ACT to encourage the planting and growth of trees and for the protection thereof. Approved 

 March 4, 1808. 



Section 1. Every land-owner or possessor of five acres of land, or more, who shall 

 reserve from the natural growth, or shall siiccessl'ully grow by planting not to exceed 

 one-fifth part thereof in forest trees, in the form of tree-belts, as hereinafter described, 

 shall be entitled to have the land on which such trees grow esemi)ted from taxation 

 from the time the said trees commence to grow, if planted by the owner, until the tree 

 shall reach the height of 12 feet. Whenever the trees shall have attained the height 

 of 12 feet, he shall be entitled to receive an annual bounty of two dollars per acre for 

 each acre so planted or grown as a tree-belt, which bounty shall bo allowed hiui as 

 hereinafter provided ; and the certificate therefor shall be received by the collector of 

 taxes assessed on the entire land of which the tree-belt forms a part, as so much cash. 



Sec 2. Tree-belts, to be entitled to the benefit of this act, shall be reserved or planted on 

 the west or south sides of each tract of land, and shall not be less than 30 feet wide, but 

 no tree-belt shall exceed one-fifth part of the entire tract of laud on which the same 

 is planted : Provided, That if the east and north sides of any tract of laud, or either of 

 them, be bounded by a public highway or street, then a tree-belt, one rod wide, may 

 be planted next to said highway or street, and the same shnll be entitled to all the 

 ben<-fits of this act, although such last mentioned tree-belt shall, with the other tree- 

 belts on the west and south sides, exceed one-fifth part of the whole of said tract 

 of land. The tree-belts may be composed of any or all of the following kinds of trees, 

 or such species thereof as will grow to the height of fifty feet or more, viz : Arbor 

 vittB, ash, balsam fir, basswood, beech, birch, butternut, cedar, black-cherry, chestnut, 

 cofi'ee-tree, cucumber-tree, elm, hackberry, hemlock, hickory, larch, locust, maple, oak, 

 pine, spruce, tulip-tree, and walnut. All belts shall bo of equal width tin-oughout 

 their entire length, and contain not less than eight trees standing at nearly equal dis- 

 tances from eacli other, on each square rod of land. 



Sec. 3. Tree-belts to be entitled to the benefits of this act, for each five acres of land, 

 must bo at least thirty feet wide ; for each ten acres of land at least sixty feet wide ; 

 aud for forty square acres at least one hundred feet wide, and must be on two sides of 

 each square tract of land; aud all tree-belts owned by the same laud-owner must be 

 jilauted to not exceed one-fourth of a mile apart, or on the west aud south sides of 

 every forty square acres of land ; and the tree-belts may be divided and planted ^ on 

 any other lines within each forty square acres, by the permission of the assessor. 



Sec. 4. Whenever any person, after having applied for and obtained a bounty-certifi- 

 cate for a tree-belt, shall allow such tree-belt to die out by want of culture or other- 

 wise, or shall cut down the same, or shall pasture the same lauds with his cattle or 

 auimals, or shall so thin out the tree-belt that, in the opinion of the assessor, it shall 

 no longer be eutitled to receive the annual bounty hereby offered, or to have the laud 

 exempted from taxation, he shall lose all benefit of this act, until it shall again be 

 accepted and certified to by the assessor. 



Sec. 5. It shall be the duty of the assessor, upon application of the owner each year, 

 at the time of assessing the personal property in his district, to ascertain by personal 

 examination of all tree- belts for which exemption from taxes or bounties is claimed, and 

 by inquiries whether the belts have been reserved or planted, and are thriftily growing as 

 required by this act; aud if he shall be satisfied that they are not so growing, or that 

 the owner has allowed his cattle and animals access to the tree-belts, or that he has 

 cut down or thinned out the trees so as to destroy their capacity as a wind-break, he 

 shall assess the land for taxes, and shall refuse to grant any certificate showiug that 

 the owner is entitled to a bounty thereon. 



Sec. 6. This act shall take effect and be in force from and after its passage and pub- 

 lication. 



AN ACT for the protection of shade-trees. Approved March 4, 1868. 

 [Chap. 87 General Laws of 1868, §§ 166-168; chap, xix, title vi, Kevised Statutes ofWisconsin.] 



Section 1. Every person whose lands are bounded by any highway or street, or 

 through whose lands any highway or street may run, may cultivate and grow two or 

 more rows of such kiuds of trees as commonly grow forty or more' feet in height, on 

 either or both sides of said highway or street, which trees may be planted one rod or 

 less ;<part in the row, leaving a place for the footpaih, and within 8 feet of the outer 

 line of said highway or street. And after said rows of trees are grown as aforesaid to 



'The words '^ or reserved" added by amendment of chap. 133, Lmvs of 1871. 



