Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-12-12
WISCONSIN FOREST PLANS.
Bureau of Forestry Likely to be Reor-
gained.

| Calumet. Mich. Dec. u.-At the APP
preaching session OF the IScphsi ~ 10
! reenact the forestry laws SO as 70 pidc =
| the work of the forestry department on a
| q source of revenue rather than an ex-
| nenre TO the state. AT the last session OF
| the Legislature the forestry berea9 was
created a commission appointed ana our
10 the mast wear E ~. Griffith 'of the
| Forestry Department at Washington was
selected for the position OF 1 Fl ~
nj the Wisconsin department. The law as
nassaJ at the last session has beer found
defective in many respects ana NOT DFoau
enough 10 accomplish an me results IS ue
state The legislation desired would pro
yjd. for a system OF regular saiarlel
state fire wardens to give tne propt t pbe o
gun; would give the forestry department
lower to sell land now in the forest pre-
ser+oe of the state which l. adapted Tor
agricultural purposes. ana also 10 cut nm
her using the proceeds Tor the purchase
ot other preserves. and would pr"Fihe lor
fhe re mission OF taxes to lndiNlduai own
ers OF cumberland who are engaged IN re-
Superintendent Griffith outlined the
changes that should 0t made and the pos
sibiltfes toY a Wcli-oI SaniZed bureau OF
fore, trv in an address before "A Milwaukee,
baluclst week Mr.. Griffith has been en-
gagged in practical forestry Work LOT
VeaIs and is one of the best-nformed
men on the subject in the United States:
lie oantends that forestry which does not
T1
ing Mr.. Griffith says that the general
public has mistaken idea that the work
of the forestry commission Is 70 buE
large areas of forest for the state ana
preserve them in parks, never cutting
down a tree He points out that the de-
partment does not aim to preserve me
forests alone but should he organized
along broad lines which would permit it
to engage in buying hardwood forests
which are practically intact as yet. I" cut
down the larger timber, sell it ana work
.
lumber operations. One of the funda-
mental principles. he says, is never, 10
take for forest preserves land which Il
good for agricultural purposes.
| Wisconsin now owns II 900 acres of Tor
est lands in Oneida. Forest, Ni@s and
Iron counties. and the department should
would make good farm land after the TIM
Der shall be cut. The proceeds Of these
Der land which is good only for timber:
then a systematic. conservative cutting
should he begun, only the mature trees
being cut down and the small growth lett;
give a large fund, which should be used
for the extension of the work of the
department. individual owners Of large
timber tracts should be encouraged to re-
plant their property instead of abandon
ing it because of excessive taxation. Inc
legislature will be asked to adopt a plan
similar to the one at Minnesota. which
will empower the state to take the taxes
out of the hands of the counties in such
cases SO that when an individual or COM
pany files Il certificate promising TO re-
plant or protect Young timber for nfteen
or twenty wears. the state could enter into
a contract with MIN or it TO lcmlt all
taxes for that period. The state could re
imIurse the county for aIN losses by col
Iecting from the owners after they had
begun to realize on the Investment IN
less some such induCement shall be Of
fered. and protection as 5Lred by a system
of fire WdrdenS and the eStabl1.hment OF
fire lines it would be unreasonable to eX-
pect a man to invest money and walt
years for a comparati' ely small return.
The United States Bureau of Forestry
has promised to help Wisconsin in every
possible way and will send OFT experts
free of cost to replant the state lands as
soon as arrangements shall be made. The
Government is now doing an important
work in Wisconsin, having esta blished an
experimental station at Marinette, as we'll
as one EScanaba, Mich. Experts In
charge are experimenting in hardwoods
and tamarack, treating the woods with
creosote preparation, in the expectation
that telephone and railway ties thus
treated will prove more durable than
those of pine. Mr.. Griffith says that he
has found lumbermen cutting down hem
lock for railroad ties and leaving the bark
to rot in the woods, which he considers
an unwarranta bic waste. as hemlock is
one of the principal sources of supply for
the paper mills, and the bark is utilized
TOR tanning purposes.