THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST 87 



9. With the fire hazard great at present, and taxation so 

 uncertain as to require allowing for its being excessive, the 

 initial investment must be insignificant. 



10. This confines it to land of low sale value and pre- 

 cludes much expense to insure the second crop. 



11. To secure the perpetuation of forests on the scale 

 essential to public welfare, the public must provide the private 

 owner better fire protection and an equitable taxation sys- 

 tem. Or else it must purchase sufficient cut-over land and 

 engage in forestry itself, bearing the cost and talcing the risk. 



12. Nevertheless there are several practical exceptions to 

 the somewhat unfavorable situation theoretically outlined 

 above : 



(a) Many owners are warranted in holding cut-over land 

 for some time, if not indefinitely, because of the upward 

 trend of land values generally. Unless clearly most useful 

 for agriculture, such land will be made more valuable by a 

 growth of young timber. However indefinite the profit of 

 encouraging this growth and protecting it from fire may be 

 if the present sale value and taxes are computed against such 

 outlay, the two latter charges are being carried anyway and 

 are the most important ones. Merely that it cannot be proved 

 that they can be more than offset is no reason for not trying 

 to compensate as far as possible at slight further expense. 

 While this may not often permit any great effort to reforest, 

 it will usually warrant protection of the natural new growth 

 that will follow if given a chance. 



(b) Many owners would prefer to have their milling 

 business continue indefinitely. If such have or can pur- 

 chase virgin timber to carry them 50 years or more they may 

 do well to grow a log supply to come into use at that time, 

 even if they would not do so merely as a stumpage invest- 

 ment. 



(c) It is highly probable that history will repeat itself in 

 the United States, especially in the Pacific coast states where 

 every other condition is so favorable to making forestry a 

 great benefit to the community, and that fire and tax discour- 



