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Show PRESIDENT APPROVES IMPORTANT LEGISLATION R. H. Rutledgs, District Forester, has been advised that President Cool-idge Cool-idge on June 7 signed the Clark-Mc-Nary Forestry Bill, which is considered consider-ed the most important forestry legislation legis-lation since the Federal Government adopted the policy of protecting streamflow and providing a supply of timber for present and future generations. genera-tions. -- The legislation was the result of 24 hearings held by a Congressional committee on reforestation in 16 different dif-ferent states representing all the important im-portant forest regions in the country. One of the most important features of the new law is the authority given the Secretary of Agriculture to cooperate co-operate with the states and with the private owners of timberland through the states in the protection of timbered and cutover lands from fire, protection of young growth, and the reforestation of land only valuable valu-able for growing timber or in protecting pro-tecting watersheds. This is especially especial-ly important when it is understood that in,many states adequate protection protec-tion against fire is not provided for at the present time, that there are approximately 150.000,000 acres of privately owned timbered and cut-over cut-over lands in the United States which are receiving little, if any. protection and about 81.000.000 acres of denuded denud-ed land which has practically no other oth-er value than the growing of timber. Another section of the bill authorizes author-izes the Secretary of Agriculture to ascertain the location of areas of public pub-lic domain which are cliiffly valuable for timber growing or for the protection pro-tection of watershed. 01 which there remain approximately 10.f-f.'.000 acres, ac-res, and provides that such acres may be added to the National Forests in the discretion of the President upon approval by the National Forest Reservation Res-ervation Commission. With the object of encourageing the private owners of timbered and cutover lands to engage in the timber growing business, which is practiced on an exceedingly small scale at the present time, the law provides for cooperation between the Secretary of Agriculture and the states and other agencies in the study of tax problems, the taxes being so high in many states as to discourage the private owners in engaging in the business, considering consider-ing that it may require 100 years to grow a crop of merchantable timber. The new law also authorizes the Secretary of Agriculture to cooperate with states or other agencies in encouraging en-couraging the owners of land chiefly valuable for producing timber in establishing wood lots, shelter belts, wind breaks, and other valuable forest for-est crops; authorizes the acceptance of title by the Government to lands chiefly valuable for the growing of timber; and the establishment of National Na-tional Forests within the boundaries of other Government reservations consistent with the object for which the reservation was created. |