FOREST CONDITIONS IN TENNESSEE. 43 



interests eventually suffer. Since much serious injury results from 

 these causes, it should certainly be within the power of the land- 

 owner to regulate or prevent grazing on his own property. This 

 is not possible in the counties which have not secured the passage 

 by the Legislature of a law prohibiting stock from running at large. 

 These are, for the most part, in the more thinly populated districts 

 with large areas of woodland. The permanent welfare of such 

 counties requires the passage of stock laws. Educational work 

 along this line, supplemented by an investigation to demonstrate 

 the injurious effect of annual fires on the quality of the grasses, 

 would be an important duty of a State Forester. 



The State Forester should be give authority to assist private own- 

 ers at their request, also by making plans for conservative man- 

 agement of woodlands and advising in regard to the execution of 

 such plans, provided that the applicant in each case pays at least 

 the expenses of the field work that may be necessary. A careful 

 record should be kept of the results secured by such working plans, 

 which would furnish practical examples of what may be accom- 

 plished by rational management of woodlands. 



(4) The State Forester should, of course, take charge of the in- 

 vestigation of forest problems within the State. The most impor- 

 tant subjects for investigation in the different regions have already 

 been mentioned. In connection with such studies, it should be pos- 

 sible to make detailed forest surveys and estimates of some of the 

 typical timber counties as a start toward a forest type map and de- 

 scription of the State. The map work should be done in consider- 

 able detail, showing cleared land and types of forest. If this were 

 done independently of other work, it would cost about $400 to map 

 and estimate a county. It is recommended, however, that if such 

 surveys are undertaken at all, it be in connection with investigations 

 of special problems. The State Forester should be authorized to co- 

 operate with the Federal Government and with other branches of 

 the State Government in scientific investigations, when this can be 

 done to the advantage of the State. 



The expense of carrying out the forest policy outlined naturally 

 divides itself into two parts the cost of the State Forester's office 

 in educational, scientific, and administrative work, and the cost of 

 fire protection. The first should be met by a State appropriation 

 of $10,000 annually. This should be supplemented by a State for- 

 est fund, into which all receipts from the sale of timber on the State 

 forests and fines for violations of the forestry laws would be paid. 



