The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-12-25
STATE CAPITAL BUREAU i
 THE AGE-HERALD Montgomery. Ala. Dec. g4

NsUutkohtAss Nhia.s wv VI F. F. Allison of Bellamy, inown ! throughout Alabama because of his efforts to conserve the forest lands and the wild life of the state, in a statement prepared at the request of the state department of conservation today outlined his ideas for the re- forestration of the state and for the protection of the wild life. In recent years Mir Allison has become the states leading exponent of forestry protection and reforestation and of the protection of the wild life. On his holdings in Sumter county may be found the largest natural game preserve in the southern states and lis annual deer nun, has demon- strated to the satisfaction of the state department of conservation that wild life can be propagated through legal protection and the forests can he reconstructed through wise for estry legislation.
 Mir Allison urged a plan whereby lands may be set apart for reforesta- tion fer a definite period of years. Curing which time the owner would know from the beginning what taxes were to be assessed against his hold ings and during which the small u ees would be permitted to grow un- hammered by the ax of the woods man and unharmed by the destruc- tive forest fires which now take thousands of dollars annually from the wealth of- the state.
 Allison's Plan
 "One of the biggest things our state can do Is to enact a law that will encourage the growth and pro- ducins of pine timber and at the same time be fair to the state as well as those who are willing to pioneer in this undertaking" said MT Alllson's statement This, I think, is so well believed and. accepted that l will not undertake to elaborate on the many reasons that prevail in Alabama over those in most other states.
 "A law should be framed so that any owner of cut-over or lands upon which small timber is now growing would have assurance that they will be able to go through with their un- dertaking and produce. results. sThss means one undertaking must know Tn advance what he may expect with re- gard to taxation. Many believe in tax exemption until the timber Is cut This would be unpopular and per- haps abused. as well as being unfair to the state and local communities and so I would recommend the fol- lowing provision:
 That the state have forestry commission or commissioner, who would be the same as the game ana fish commissioner; that land owner could apply to such commits sion to have certain lands designated
 in pr q nda If the com missioner, after examination, found the lands to be suitable for such pur- pose. he would approve the applica- ton and designate the valuation that should be placed on such land and an annual tax would be agreed upon and spread on these lands just as other property, but this valuation 90 fixed should not be changed during the period used for timber produc- ton. I would recommend that it be encumbent upon the land owner not to use the lands in any way that would interfere with the growth and production of timber. to use due dil- igence to prevent and keep down fires and generally to promote the growth of timber to the exclusion of all undertakings harmful to such growth and production.
 Valuation should Be Low
 "In addition to the annual tax coll lected. I would suggest another tax be paid on timber harvested from the land at the time it is so harvested.
 "In order that the land owner may not think that my plan would be too hard on a forestry undertaking, will attempt to elaborate on this point In the first place, the initial valuation fixed for the period of growth should be as low. or possibly lower. than any other land valuation in the community, and so to make ,t absolutely fair and to the advantage of the community would recom- mend the collection at the time of harvesting any timber . percentage