POEEST CONSERVATION IN SOUTHERN PINE REGION. 9 



ests. Those now having State forests are Connecticut, Indiana, 

 Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Hampshire, 

 New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Vermont, and 

 Wisconsin. The number of State forests is approximately 150 and 

 their aggregate area 3,700,000 acres. New York has 1,800,000 acres, 

 Pennsylvania 1,000,000, Wisconsin 400,000 acres, and Michigan 

 277,000 acres. At a recent election the people of Minnesota approved 

 an amendment to the constitution permitting the State to set aside 

 as State forests all lands now owned by it which are chiefly valuable 

 for the production of timber, amounting to about a million acres. 



Practically all of these State forests have been established through 

 purchase, although in the West some were set aside from lands 

 already owned by the States. New York has spent approximately 

 $4,075,000 and Pennsylvania $2,250,000 in buying, lands for State 

 forests, Pennsylvania has paid about $2.25 an acre for the same 

 land, cut over and burned, which it sold years ago, when covered 

 with timber, for about 27 cents an acre. These lands are now esti- 

 mated to be worth $6 an acre. 



The Federal Government, under the terms of the so-called Weeks 

 law, has also adopted this policy as regards lands situated on the 

 forested watersheds of navigable streams and has appropriated 

 $11,000,000 for purchases. 



It is probable that the States in the southern pine region have 

 disposed of nearly all their timber holdings. Just how much of 

 such land, which can be used most profitably for growing timber, 

 remains in the ownership of the States should be determined as soon 

 at practicable and steps taken to withdraw it from sale and set it 

 aside as State forests. In addition, these States should gradually 

 acquire, through purchase or gift, other bodies of true forest land, 

 especially in regions like the Southern Appalachians, the pine hills, 

 ' and the Edwards Plateau in Texas. When lands are taken over by 

 a State provision should be made tO' reimburse the counties and the 

 townships for loss of tax revenue. Some States pay a tax on the 

 same basis as if such lands were privately owned; others pay a fixed 

 charge of a. few cents an acre. The Federal Government gives 

 counties in which National Forests are situated 25 per cent of the 

 gross revenues, and an additional 10 per cent is used, in cooperation 

 with the localities concerned, for the construction of public roads. 



LEGISLATION. 



A consistent and comprehensive forest policy can be carried out 

 only through a forestry department and a State forester. Such 

 departments are urgently needed and earnestly recommended. They 

 have been established in only three States in the southern pine re- 



