58 ELEMENTARY FORESTRY. 



investments in young- growing- timber extra hazardous. Then 

 ag-ain, even if forest property were quite free from danger 

 from lire, our people can find so many more other avenues for 

 profitable investment that yield quicker returns than can be 

 found in Europe that they would be slow to put their money 

 into young- forest property for the reason that considerable 

 time must elapse before the yearly increase can be harvested. 



The Taxes on Timber Lands which are almost g-enerally exces- 

 sive and entirely out of proportion to the value of the lands 

 in this section, are another cause for the non-investment of 

 money in timber lands here. Tog-ether with forest fires they 

 have had the effect of discourag-ing- lumbermen from holding 

 their timber lands for a new growth. Dr. C. A. Schenck well 

 says of the situation in North Carolina: "Why should the 

 owner of woodlands pay taxes. Taxes on property are paid 

 all the world over as compensation for protection of property. 

 The commonwealth, however, although not protecting- wood- 

 lands at all imposes heavy taxes on them. Such legislation 

 is unjust, but it is more than that; it is unwise, because it 

 prevents the development of economic forestry." In this state 

 (Minnesota) something is being done to protect woodlands, 

 but it is very small indeed compared with the great interests 

 involved, and the taxes levied on forest property are often 

 very excessive. Something must be done to correct this evil 

 if our forest interests are to be properly developed and 

 remain as a source of continuous revenue in this state. 



The State of Minnesota owns or will own when the surveys 

 are completed about 3,000,000 acres of land in the forest area 

 of the state, much of which is better adapted to forestry than 

 to agriculture, and should therefore be set aside for this pur- 

 pose, but thus far nothing has been done to introduce any 

 reasonable system for the management of this vast area which 

 is not contributing a tithe of what it should contribute to the 

 welfare of the state. Perhaps no state in the union is more 

 favorably situated than Minnesota for carrying out a com- 

 prehensive system of forest management and thus setting an 

 example in good forestry to her citizens which would result 

 in permanent material advancement. 



