Rensselaer Union, Volume 7, Number 38, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 June 1875 — Forests and Taxation. [ARTICLE]

Forests and Taxation.

Geo, May Powell, Chairman of the Forest Committee, read the following paper before the American Institute, ■New York city, a few days ago: A successful teacher gave as an axiomatic proposition that to “ simplify and repeat” was the only condition necessary to prosperity of his work with his pupils. Simplification and repetition are the oars with which the forest boat launched by the American Institute must be propelled. The latter is much easier to use than the former, but they must both be used if the boat would be shot ahead instead of spun round and round. There are three cardinal points of the forest question, the agitation of which, vigorously and intelligently, will insure an immense change for the better within less than a score of years. Two of these have been somewhat discussed by us in previous papers. First. Of the latter and generally, it will “pay,” in almost every conceivable point of view, for all persons owning real estate in either town or country, on farms or in villages, to plant trees on their premises, especially along the highways and in waste corners and patches of ground; and also very carefully to economize any timber they have left still standing. All other things being equal, it has often been practically proved that five dollars expended in tree-planting around or near the buildings will add hundreds of dollars to the salable value of the property. Thus much of the financial value of the beautiful, climatic, meteorological and other gain thrown in free. Second. In the creation of new forests, planting of tree seeds on the identical spots where the trees are expected permanently to grow is the most, efficient of all possible methods of reproduction of trees; an hour spent in putting hard maple, elm, linden and ash seeds and hickory and other nuts into the ground being often equivalent to months of transplanting. This is true especially in respect to the number of trees whichia given amount of labor will plant. In this particular the difference is often as one to one hundred. In regard to cost, of stock, the pnce of trees if purchased wpuld often be as one to one thousand compared to buying tree seeds. These differences are, of course, the keys to the * situation. In a large majority of cases they determine whether

any silvaculture at all shall be attempted. Thus much of what individuals can and should do for themselves independent of any action either of counties, States or General Government. Such action of individuals must, in the aggregate, amount to far more than any local or General Government action, and than all such action combined. Third. In respect to taxes. Here is the chief point for governmental movement. The Governments of Europe reap vast sums from the sale of timber from the forests, instead of sale of the lands on which that timber grows. This principle, by wise economy of the forest management, secures not only an extensive hut a perpetual revenue, which reduces the taxes of the people by substantially those amounts. The people in turn secure timber for fuel, architectural and other mechanical uses quite as economically, all things considered, as we do in the older sections of our own country. This line of policy also insures the possibility of always getting timber, and of getting a good article. Our Government has been and still is selling millions of pine and other timber lands at $1.25 per acre, on a large proportion of which the timber is not only worth from ten to a hundred times that snm per acre, but it is so sold by speculators to the lumbermen at such relative rates. These speculators and their heirs often reap also a rich harvest by the cuttings of each succeeding twenty years from the same lands. These are figures worth considering by the tax-payers of a nation very considerably in debt some thousands of millions of dollars. Until our national debt is reduced, “hard times" are absolutely certain to continue. States, tooj may in some cases adopt a timber-selling instead of a land-selling policy, to the advantage of their payers of State taxes. Some States are granting certain exemption from taxation to those planting trees. Within' any probable limits, and under proper regulations, the more of that the better.