FORESTRY. 



EDITED BY DR. B. E. FERNOW, 



Director of the New York School of Forestry, Cornell University, assisted by Dr. John C. Gifford, of same 



institution. 



FORESTRY LEGISLATION. 



The Forester sums up the result of this 

 winter's forestry legislation by Congress 

 as follows: 



"The short session of the last Congress 

 has adjourned and a number of measures 

 which it was hoped would be passed must 

 wait another year. First among them are 

 those looking toward the purchase of the 

 Calaveras Grove, the investigation of the 

 Minnesota Park project, and the establish- 

 ment of a Southern Appalachian Forest 

 Reserve. The proposed Appalachian Re- 

 serve has been surveyed and reported on 

 at the desire of Congress, has been recom- 

 mended by the Secretary of Agriculture, 

 and has been voted on favorably by the 

 Senate. It is safe to say that only the 

 great pressure of other business prevented 

 the House from voting in its favor this 

 year. Some ground will have to be gone 

 over again but it needs no prophet to see 

 that though its friends failed of success 

 this year this reserve will in time be es- 

 tablished. Of the Calaveras Grove and 

 the Minnesota Park less can be said. In 

 spite of the efforts of those who are try- 

 ing to have the Minnesota Park question 

 voted on, it was hardly mentioned during 

 this section of Congress, and on the 2 

 or 3 occasions when it was, nothing 

 was done. An act for the purchase of the 

 Calaveras Grove passed the Senate but 

 was opposed in the House. In the same 

 way the different measures which belong 

 perhaps more particularly to the field of 

 irrigation fell through. The Pima Indian 

 appropriation, carrying $100,000 for irriga- 

 tion investigations and works in the South- 

 west, failed of passage at the very end of 

 the session, as did likewise the different 

 measures attached to the River and Har- 

 bor Bill. Nor was there any increase in 

 the appropriation for the Hydrographic 

 Division of the Geological Survey. 



"But in spite of what the 56th Con- 

 gress has not done, the year need not be 

 looked on as one barren of results. The 

 session was short and unusually full of 

 important business. Besides, much per- 

 suading and explaining, which goes with 

 everything as new as forestry and irriga- 

 tion, will not have to be done again. And 

 finally the increase in the appropriation for 

 the Division of Forestry from $88,520 to 

 $187,240 and the promotion of the same 

 division to the standing of a bureau, a 

 rrieasure which was threatened with failure 



at first, but which passed without difficulty, 

 are notable steps in advance. 



"An amendment to the 'Sundry Civil Ex- 

 penses' bill was proposed last month, pro- 

 viding: 'That any person residing within 

 the limits of any forest reservation, or 

 any person who did reside therein at the 

 time of its creation, or whose live stock 

 had ranges within the area covered by 

 such reservation prior to its creation and 

 still ranges within its limits, shall be per- 

 mitted to graze live stock continuously 

 within the limits of such reservation on 

 condition that he will at all times use his 

 best efforts to prevent the starting and 

 spread of forest fires in the locality in 

 which his stock ranges.' Although the 

 Department of Agriculture is even now 

 making a thorough and careful investiga- 

 tion of the grazing question this amend- 

 ment passed the Senate with but little 

 modification." 



In Pennsylvania, which is now the most 

 progressive State as regards forestry leg- 

 islation, largely due to the efforts of one 

 man, Dr. J. T. Rothrock, a further recog- 

 nition of the importance of the subject is 

 given by raising the Division of Forestry 

 in the Department of Agriculture to a 

 separate bureau with a Commissioner of 

 Forestry and 4 associates, who are also 

 acting as Forest Reserve Commission, 

 and who are empowered to buy lands for 

 forest reserves and to manage them as 

 such. The State has already acquired over 

 150,000 acres for such reserves and a law is 

 on the Statute books, by which lands sold 

 for non-payment of taxes may be bought 

 for such purpose. 



In Michigan the excellent legislation in- 

 troduced, which is to create a State for- 

 est reserve, is being strenuously fought by 

 various rings ; especially certain news- 

 papers that profit by advertising tax titles . 

 and that have leagued themselves against 

 the legislation. Even the Farmers' Club, 

 short-sighted in its sympathy with the resi- 

 dents on the pine barrens, has taken an 

 offensive attitude, fearing that the with- 

 drawal of forest lands from settlement will 

 prevent settlers from coming in to share 

 the burden of taxation. How much poor 

 land, denuded of its valuable forest 

 crop, is being abandoned by the owners in 

 Michigan can be judged from the fact that 

 last year the State spent $67,000 for ad- 

 vertising tax titles, 



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