Gloucester County Democrat., 1907-07-11
STATE BUYS 5000 ACRES GOOD LAND

The State Board Of Forestry has just con-
cluded bargain whereby the State becomes
the owner of trifie more than 5000 acres
of land in Sussex County for a forest pre-
serve This gives the State about 800 acres
in all of forest lands under the State Forest
Reservation law proposed and advocated by
Governor Stokes Forester Alfred Gaskill is
actively prosecuting the work of establish
| ing forestry in the State on basis that is
designed to give New JERSEY the most mod
ern tree culture and forest preservation pol
icy from Sussex to Cape May.
On the State farm at New Brunswick 20,-
600 young trees have been planted in nur-
sery for the purpose of culture and demon
stration in connection with the work of the
commission On all the preserves now owned
| by the State regular work is under way for
the betterment of the general forest condi-
tions in New Jersey. To show how this is
being done Forest Gaskill states that on a
observation of l,500 acres in Burlington
County, near Tuckerton, an experiment is
being tried to ascertain what success may be
made in growing trees on land considered to
be among the poorest in the State. On that
tract so, 600 seedlings and 5000 young pine
trees have been planted.
Their growth will be carefully watched
and whatever success is achieved will be uti-
lized in other sections of the State. The
practical results Of this and other similar ex-
periments will be disseminated throughout
the state so that the farmers may profit there
| by. 1t may be that the trial will demon
strate that many acres of land now deemed
utterly worthless can be turned into money
producers through intelligent tree growing.
| Another way in which the Commission is
rendering valuable service is in cooperation
with private owners of forest lands.
This cooperation is now in progress on
some II, 900 acres. Through this means
Dlany sections of the State will be saved
| from absolute denudation Of their forests.
Under the direction of Forester Gaskill it
will be shown how ripe trees may be cut
and turned into lumber, while the growing
trees are spared. Instruction will be given
in tree culture and it will be shown that
forests may be maintained permanently, not
withstanding the ripe trees are constantly
being cut down.
Forester Gaskill states that New Jersey
now occupies the most favorable position
among all the States with respect to its for
estly policy. He admits that it is true that
| New York has million and quarter acres
of forest lands and Pennsylvania has about
three-quarters of a million acres, bat New
York is prohibited by its Constitution from
cutting a tree and Pennsylvania is doing
| absolutely nothing with its many acres Of
forests He contrasts this with the policy
10 Jersey, which is not only to acquire the
| preserves and thus save the forests, but also
by experiment and by using the preserves as
immense demonstrators, teach the whole
State the most advanced ideas in forestry.
The questions now being studied by the
New Jersey Commission are practical mat
ters along the line of the rate of growth of
trees, their yield in lumber, how much
lumber may be produced from a given sec
tion of land witnout destroying the forest,
etc.
The commission announces that it wants
to get into communication with private
! owners Of woodlands in order that it may
aid them in extending to their forest lands
the results of the knowledge being acquired
in its work. Forester Gaslill says the COM
mission can be Of practical assistance to
every farmer in the handling of his wood
lot If this idea of cooperation is worked out