River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1925-08-27

require logs to be made into pulp be-
fore being exported from her crown
lands. Citing an analogous case
where adverse action was taken on
product controlled by foreign
nation, Russell points to the rubber
industry. Rubber only recently 20
cents a pound now sells at $1.20 a
pound. This great and sudden in
crease was caused when England,
which CONTROLS 80 per cent of the
rubber, limited the production and
shipment of this necessity, and the
| United States, which consumes about
70 per cent of the rubber, now pays
the vast difference in price.
Can RefOrest Waste Lands
Pointing to Wisconsin, Dean Rus
sell declares that 10 northern coun-
ties have less than a million and one
half acres of merchantable timber.
But in these same counties there are
eight million acres of cut over lands,
which are now lying idle and are
Of little use from an agricultural
standpoint. Much of these lands are
so rough, sandy or swampy that it is
impossible for settlers to make a
living when they locate on them.
Other millions of acres of potentially
good land in this territory will not
be needed or used for crop produc
ton for several generations.
What to do with this vast area of
cut over lands is the problem con-
fronting Wisconsin. Like other
leaders, Dean Russell wants to seed
this area to growing timber that will
keep our wood-using industries at
work, but before this is attempted he
would remedy the situation by re-
moving the difficulties that are now
blocking progress.
Lumber is slow growing crop. 1t
requires generations to mature. I'm
der the most favorable conditions, it
takes from so to rs years for the
tree to mature where it can be used
for timber, though jack pine can be
grown to size large enough to use
for pulp in 35 years. Thus the time
element alone, the Dean shows, is
great handicap in reforestration.
Taxes Take the Profits
Under existing conditions, the
present tax system makes individual
demonstration well nigh impossible,
and Russell declares this factor must
be modified at once if Wisconsin is
going to utilize her forest POSSIBLE
tiles. He cites cases where Wiscon-
sin land now grow young jack pine
is assessed at the rate of ST a year.
If it takes 35 years to grow even the
small stuff for the pulp industry,
taxes paid on an acre would be APP
proximately $3.50 without counting
the accrued interest annd figuring no
change in yearly assessment.
Instead of this annual tax with no
possibility of return from the crop,
Russell advocates a nominal yearly
tax while the trees are growing. But
when the timber is ready for cutting
an adequate yield tax wauld be i'm
posed By this system timber owners
would be induced to hold their grow
ing timber rather than sacrifice it as
they now do with our present meth
DDS of taxation. This system is by
no means new but is now in vogue in
foreign countries which are noted
for their forestry development.
Fire Hazards Dangerous
Another restrictive condition that
hampers permanent forestry devel-
opment is the great fire risks taken
by the owners of woods. Often after
the young saplings have made fast
growth and are we'll developed fires
wipe out the entire area and only
SCARED stumps remain. In these
cases the high land tax has been
paid for nothing.
To fight forest fires, Dean Russell
says Wisconsin has developed note
worthy system. BY using lookout
towers for observation purposes and
a we'll developed telephone system
and fire lanes, fire losses have been
greatly reduced. This plan has given
even better results than those OBJ
tanned by the areoplane fleets that
| scout the forests in the western
states.
Concluding Dean Russell proposes
to Wisconsin people that they use
their opportunity and privilege of
aiding in the building of a sound
permanent policy in the development
of the states forests. Wisconsin,
forests can be saved for future
Badgers by extending the present
fire supervision and by revising the
tax plan. Fire protection will aid n
preserving the present wood lands