23 
COMMITTEE ON CONSERVATION 
Forestry 
We consider the matter of forestry of great importance to the 
welfare of the country and especially to Iowa. The forests are 
essential to our civilization. It is therefore of great importance 
that adequate, provision be made for the growing of forest trees, 
not only because of the economic use of timber, but for the pro- 
tection of wild life and recreation. We recognize that Iowa is 
a great agricultural state, where fertile lands must produce large 
agricultural crops and that much of the soil can not, from an 
economic standpoint, be used to produce a forest crop. We also 
recognize that there are 3,000,000 acres of land in the state which 
are not producing adequate agricultural crops, and which should 
be made to produce something in the way of a crop suited for 
these lands. By planting such idle lands to a forest crop, the 
state will be much richer. We, therefore, urge the importance of 
utilizing such lands for the growing of trees. Cut over lands in 
the state should receive proper care so that the regrowth of good 
forests may start at once. We urge upon our legislature such 
needed legislation as will materially reduce the taxation on privately 
owned forest lands so that a remunerative crop can be produced ; 
that in taxation a distinction shall be made between forest lands 
and other farm lands; that the taxation on such lands shall be 
reasonable. We commend the present tax exemption law where 
forests are not taxed when the same are not used for pasture 
purposes, and a good stand of timber is found thereon. The law, 
however does not meet all of the requirements of good forestry 
and should be amended to properly safeguard the state. The 
state should encourage small forest areas and for this purpose 
small areas might well be set aside as state forests. We urge that 
state owned lands subject to overflow shall be. utilized for the 
growing of timber ; that the state stop the sale of such public 
land and allow it to grow up with forest trees. We would urge 
that cities where possible establish municipal forests, especially 
along streams or hillsides. We realize that our largest returns 
ultimately will come from the public forests of the government, 
or in some states from state forests. We also realize that these 
public forests in Iowa can never be large and that it must be 
individual enterprise, and any state aid that can be given the 
private individual should be encouraged in every way. We de- 
plore the burning of some of the woodland tracts in northeastern 
Iowa and there should be a law to stop this. 
