24 THE COMMISSION OF INQUIRY, 



to the title from acquiring an interest founded on the tax proceeding 

 with the design of making it a cover for timber skinning to the detri- 

 ment of the public interest and welfare. 



OF THE DELIMITATION OF STATE FOREST RESERVES. 



The map prepared for submission herewith shows that the State's 

 holdings of forfeited tax land are much scattered and that a large part 

 lies in small parcels widely separated from other State holdings. Only 

 now and then are districts found in which these parcels are located with 

 respect to each other in such way as to make it ppssible to form out of 

 them a forest reserve of suflBcient extent and compactness for economical 

 administration. Hence the location of State reserves is dictated almost 

 entirely by an established fact. They must be placed where the State 

 ha^ the land, and even if the land is tillable, it must be appropriated for 

 reserves. To this extent even settlement must be regarded as a purpose 

 of secondary moment. For the sake of effectiveness of fire protection 

 and of economy of administration, it should be provided that future 

 acquisitions of forfeited tax land so located as to fill in gaps and round 

 out the State's holdings shall, as acquired, be added automatically to 

 the State reserves near which they are located. For this purpose the 

 first step recommended is the defining of districts to be called reserve 

 districts, to be located so that they will include within their limits the 

 compact holdings of the State. It should be provided that within the 

 limits of each reserve district all future acquisitions of land shall 

 automatically be added to, and beeome a part of, the State forest re- 

 serve within that district, subject to the limitation fixed as the maxi- 

 mum area of State forest reserves in any county. Careful considera- 

 tion of the map will show that the State holdings, so located with re- 

 spect to each other as to be available for reserves, are but a very in- 

 significant part of the State's area, and clearly insufiScient in extent to 

 furnish the future with lumber or to have material influence on stream 

 flow, or to bring about ultimately such a development as will produce 

 a wise balance between agriculture and forest lands, or to produce gen- 

 erally or in any large way, the incidental benefits to the public welfare 

 which are to be expected from having adequate forest areas. 



By the time the next legislature convenes the State, in districts where 

 it now has extensive and comparatively compact holdings, may have lit- 

 tle or nothing left. The limits or location of reserves, therefore, can 

 not be determined by reference to the map submitted, nor to the plats 

 above mentioned; nor is it possible for the Commission, reporting in ad- 

 vance of legislative action, to submit any map which can be used as the 

 basis of the delimitation of State forest reserves. That requires knowl- 

 edge of exact location and quantity at the exact time. It is not possible 

 to obtain such knowledge, except by a temporary withdrawal from 

 entry, sale oi^ other disposition of the tax homestead land and State tax 

 land (except redemption of the latter by the owner of the original 

 title), and by the making of an inventory and map showing the hold- 

 ings of the State at date of such withdrawal. Legislative action direct 

 ing such withdrawal is the first necessary step to the creation of State 

 forest reserves. 



It was perhaps in the mind of the legislature when it adopted the 



