The Somerset reporter., 1908-02-27
Encouraging Private Forestry
Tree-growing to be made worth while

Tree-growing to be made worth while
taCollcrs Weekly Feb. p lps.
a Bill introduced by Senator Cobb,
Chairman Of the Forest, Fish, and
Game Committee OF the New York
Senate, blazes trail that the friends
OF forest preserya tion throughout the
country will find it we'll to follow
The Cobb bill provides tbat land de-
voted exclusively to wood, timber, or
forest products shall be assessed at a
rate not higher than the rate of barren
and unprOductive lands in the same
tax district. Owners may have their
lands inspected by foresters detailed
by The Forest, Fish, and Game Com
missioner and secure advice as TO the
best methods of growing trees.
This measure recognizes the fact
that really effective system OF forest
protection must enlist the good will
and the active cooperation OF private
interests. In the West The Govern
ment mas reserved over a hundred
and fifty million acres in National
Forests. That is a great expanse
larger than any empire of Europe
except Russia but still it is little
over half the wooded area in the
region west of the Missouri River
alone, and hardly more than fifth of
all the woodlands of the United
States, not counting Alaska. East OF
the Missouri only the barest begin
nings have been made. The National
Government has done practically
nothing, and the States have reserved
: 81 urIt oh g
eighths are III New York and Pennsyl
vania, and four tifths of the remainder
in Wisconsin, The future of our
hard wood supply depends upon the
maintenance of the Eastern forests.
and even if Congress can induce
Speaker Cannon to let it do some
thing in the Appalachians the bulk OF
the work must be done by private
interests on commercial lines.
In i.s early stages the work OF
forest preservation was carried on in
spirit of hostility TO these private
interests. They were the enemy to
be fought, the vandals who were
destroying the public birthright in
cynical disregard of the nations
future. But, alter all, the destroyers
of the torests-the lumbermen, the
wood pulp men, the makers of rail-
road ties-are human. They do not
destroy for the sake OF destruction
some of them would really like to
repair their own waste. Many are
alre ady cooperating With The State
and national forestry services, sys-
Dramatically replanting their cut-over
lands and treating trees at crops, to
be grown as often as harvested
But here the states interfere and
penallze forethought. BY taxing the
growing trees they make it hard and
often Impossible for the owner to
carry the crop to maturity. Paying
out cash every year for taxes and
TAX ing nothing i'll for thirty years is
calculated to chill the enthusiasm OF
the average business man. The pro
per time 10 tax trees ls when tney are
cut. When the owner is about to
realiZe on his crop the State may
take such share OF the proceeds at
it thinks just. But while the new
forest IL growing, restoring life &c
barren hillsides and protecting the
sources of the streams that are the
arteries OF the commo nWealth, it ID &
ruinous policy 10 force it's destruc'
ton by levying fines on it's existence
The American Paper and Pulp
Association, at its meeting on Feb
ruary Z, adopted resolutions in thin
sense II declared that 1.-The public
should encourage the preservation Of
the forests by the owners by sharing
with them the burden entailed there
by, more particularly in the following
manner: IL by reducing taxation
to minimum, 80 as to encourage
conservative cutting, % by applying
the taxes received from wild lands tt
their protection from fire and t.
retorestation of burned or already
denuded districts"
The old fashioned methods OF
numbering, under which third OF
the wood was wasted, have been re-
placed by economical processes which
enable almost everything to be
utilized. The national Forest Ser
vice offers ills cooperation To al
owners of woodlands who wish &c
undertake scientific replanting. The
lumbermen whose sources of supply
have been exhausted, the railroads
which are beginning to suffer from 81
shortage of ties, and the wood pulp
men who fUresee time of famine fol-
their mills, are anxious TO restore
their depleted resources. The chief
obstacle i'll the wayiot general move
ment in this dire ction is the barbarous
taxing system of the States.