The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-07-16
u. S. PREPARING
TO SAVE FORESTS
Congress Takes Initiative
in Conservation Of
Nations Trees
COMMITTEE APPOINTED
Members Of Congress viii Get
"at Root" of Proposition
After Much Debate

tho lookout for conservation policy
while this group has advocated one
plan of conservation and that group
has advocated something else, the
forests of the country have been
denudcd Now congrcss has tokon
the initiative.
A subcommittee on forestry has
been appointed by tho house of rep
rescntatives 10 begin a study looking
toward forest conservation lcgiHla-
ton. The committee Is made M Of
Representatives iIaugcn, Iowa: Mar
win Jones, Texas. Mclaughlin. Ne
braEka; Clark. New York. ana RAJ
nev, Illinois
This subcommittee was appointed
after consultation with Representa-
tive Bertrand NJ Snoll OF New York
the forCRtry specialist OF the house
members OF the agriculture commit
tee. representative OF the national
lumber manufacturers association,
tho pulp and paper makers, the
newspapers and others industrihiiy
interested In the conservative utili-
latlon OF the forests of the country.
IL represents an effort 10 get away
from the differences of opinion Tint
have hitherto blocked progress to-
ward tho adoption OF n public forost-
~ policy ana to attempt TO find
common ground on which all I'D
vocates OF such n policy can agrec.
Tho Group Proposals.
One group OF forestry advocates
has favored q centralized national
policy OF control OF private forest
lands Its proposal 10 accomplish
this END through exercise OF the fed
eral taxing power has, however be-
come an academic question since the
supreme court has directly held that
the taxing power may not be used as
"A disguise for regulation which is
beyond tho power OF congress-
Tho other group led by Repre-
sentative Smell. has the sympathy Of
the forestry service, as being moro
practical. and would seek To encour-
age reproductive methods OF lum-
bering and adequate forest fire pro-
lection through voluntary co-opera-
ton OF owners and state govern
ments with financial aid from the
federal government. The national
government. In conference with rep
resentatives OF tho states and ownorA
OF timber would according to this
plan give financial support to the
states adopting desirable progrn m
OF forest administration and protec-
llon. Both groups favor extension
or the nationally owned forests by
further acquisition from the unre-
served public domain and by pur-
chase, and also tho announcement
of tree planting.
Wallace Interested.
Secretary Wallace has taken
groat interest In the realization OF
some sort OF legislation that would
tend to put American forests on q
Art la. a
the hope of Chairman IIaugen that
the subcommittee on forestry will
be able to draft and ere long get
favorable congressional action on
the program advocated by the sec
retary or agriculture in hls recent
statement to Senator Norris OF tho
senate committee on agriculture,
namely:
l. Extension Of the existing fed
eral cooperation with the states in
forest fire protection.
2. Initiation of federal co-opera-
tion with the states in growing or
distributing forest trees or seeds for
planting.
3. Extension Of the national for
ests.
Present financial cooperation be-
tween the national and state gov
ernmonts is limited to the distrlbu-
ton OF 100000 annually among the
state governments which themselves
make some provision for protecting
forests from fire. The purchase OF
national forest extensions received
only 100000 from congress this
year. No provision exists for the
further extensions OF the national
forests by inclusion OF tlmbered
areas OF tho unrcserved public do
main. Eighty per cent OF all the
timber area OF Alaska. for example
is still without forestry supervision,
protection or administration.
Protection From Fires
The three features of Secretary
Wallace's program are considered
essential 10 any sound national pol
icy. II they are properly developed
they Will, according to expert opiu-
ton solve not less than so per cent
OF the problem. The rest can await
later development as additional in
formation is secured. The protec-
tion Of timebr lands from fires will
he a great advance In forestry, as
lumbermen and foyesters agree that
81 fires could he kept out OF the for
ests nature would attend TO rs to-
80 per cent Of reforesting. There
have been about $4,000 forest fires
annually In tho United States, and
lnNN buIN over from b,UOO,OOO 10
100000 acres, or twice the area
that is cut over by tho lumbermcn,
In connection with the problem
OF protecting tho standing forests.
the question OF taxation viii nat
urally como up, and with national
and state authorities as well as TIM
ber owners studying II without bins,
It may be expected that n formula
OF taxation will be evolved suitable
to land Mat produces a complete
crop but once In fifty or hundred
years and that viii provide that
taxes shall not absorb the value ~
the annual growth At present the
annual taxes I'm many locations sur
pass the value os tho conservative
methods OF numbering.
Taxation systems that make Il
economically possible TO grow TIM
Der, and fire protection arrangements
that give reasonable assurance that
such enterprises viii not he frus-
trated by fire, against which insur-
ence Is not available, are held 10 be
Indispensable TO private enterprise
IN reforestratlon.