988 



SCIENCE. 



[N. S. Vol. XII. jS!o. 313. 



also from the commercial point of view — 

 as a proper function of the State. It is 

 safe to say that this advanced position has 

 the practically unanimous approval of the 

 men in this country, few in number, to be 

 sure, who are entitled to rank as forestry 

 experts, and of other thoughtful students of 

 the problems connected with this subject. 



CONCLUSIONS. 



From the foregoing review a number of 

 suggestions may be drawn in regard to 

 forestry problems in Michigan. 



1. Necessity of legislation and State con- 

 trol. — There is no way in which satisfactory 

 progress can be made until the State as- 

 sumes responsibility. New York, Penn- 

 sylvania, and Minnesota have fully rec- 

 ognized this responsibility, and in each of 

 them an efiScient forestrj' service is main- 

 tained by the State. It should be noted 

 that, especially in New York, where this 

 service has been most developed, this ful- 

 fillment of its duty by the State, even at 

 considerable expense, has the practically 

 unanimous approval of its citizens. The op- 

 position of selfish and irresponsible parties 

 has been overcome and the State is to-day 

 in peaceable possession of great forest areas 

 of inestimable value, not merely for their 

 timber, but as conservators of a pure water 

 supply. The principle, therefore, has been 

 fully established in this country as well as 

 in the Old World that the protection and 

 development of its forest for the benefit of 

 its citizens, present and future, is a proper 

 function and obligation of the State. 



2. Form which legislation should take. — 

 From the experience of other States, it 

 would seem that one of the first steps to be 

 taken would be the location, under the ad- 

 vice of competent experts, of such tracts of 

 land as are better suited for forestry than for 

 agricultural purposes, followed by proper 

 measures for the acquisition of so much of 

 these lands as may be deemed advisable. 



As large areas are already abandoned and 

 have practically come into the possession of 

 the State, the procedure, in many cases, 

 would consist mainly in securing a valid 

 and permanent title. The State of New 

 York, as already pointed out, has a forest 

 preserve board of three members specifically 

 charged with the duty of acquiring lands 

 for the State, with authority to take pos- 

 session of lands, to adjust claims, and to 

 take measures for perfecting the title of 

 lands held by the State. In Pennsylvania 

 a commission of five members has sub- 

 stantially the same duties, which are also 

 shared by the Commissioner of Forestry. 

 In this matter there is probablj' nothing 

 better for Michigan than to follow in a gen- 

 eral way the method adopted by these two 

 States. 



The control of forest fires presents one of 

 the most difficult subjects with which Leg- 

 islatures and forestry commissions have 

 had to deal. In New York and Minnesota 

 the appointment of a chief fire warden, who 

 is paid for his services and is held respon- 

 sible, marks a distinct advance, and the 

 policy of Pennsylvania, of imposing and 

 inflicting severe penalties for the setting of 

 forest fires, has thus far been followed by 

 good results. In any case the essential 

 thing is the fixing of responsibility and pro- 

 vision for the execution of laws relating to 

 fires. The first can only be attained by 

 the appointment of responsible persons, and 

 the second by paying for service rendered. 

 None of the three States in which this has 

 been done is likely to abandon this ad- 

 vanced policy for the more expensive one 

 of allowing fires to sweep unchecked over 

 its territory. 



Thieves in some quarters of the State are 

 worse than fires. An efficient trespass 

 agent with adequate authority is the proper 

 agency for holding the nuisance in check 

 until it can be more radically dealt with. 

 The repeal of the homestead law, earnestly 



