RESIDENT DISTRICT COMMISSIONER SYSTEM. 81 



as it takes away a great incentive to settling on forest lands and in so 

 much assists in preserving the timbered areas. 



The method of special agents, which is relied upon to detect tres- 

 passers and keep the evils of forest depredations in check, is held in 

 utmost contempt by those who are guilty of infringing the timber laws 

 or contemplate doing so. Not oidy is the system despised, but the men 

 who work under it as well; for, light or wrong, in the minds of the 

 people of the West there is a firm conviction that a true charge of 

 venality would lie in connection with any of these offices. 



We have seen that the forests of the West stand in need of protection, 

 and that if this is not afforded their entire destruction is merely a 

 matter of a comparatively short time. It is not sufficient that a tract 

 be set aside here and there as a forest reserve. A wider application of 

 a protective system is needed. It should cover alike all areas of the 

 public timber lands in their uttermost extensions, even those which 

 now are simply burned and blackened tracts and those which, situated 

 on remote mountain slopes, are at present too difficult of access to be 

 utilized. * ^. . 



Below is presented the outlines of a plan entirely feasible and practi- 

 cal, that will furnish a substantial foundation for the erection of a 

 system which, if properly and faithfully carried out, can not fail to 

 prevent the depredations that now lay waste the forests. It will not 

 only protect the tracts now belonging to the public domain, but also, to 

 some extent, those which have already passed outside the immediate 

 ownership of the General Government. 



The plan to be proposed may be called the resident district commis- 

 sioner system. The primary feature of this plan is the division of all 

 the forest areas throughout the Western States where the Government 

 still controls the major portion into districts with definite boundaries 

 and the absolute prohibition within these limits of removing or con- 

 verting to any private use timber, growing or dead, without the issuance 

 of a license by the official in charge of such district. 



The supervision of each district should be confided to a resident dis- 

 trict commissioner, who should act under the immediate direction of a 

 general commission or commissioner of forestry. The district com- 

 missioner should reside at some generally accessible point within his 

 district and should be a bonded officer. His .jurisdiction should extend 

 to all cases arising within the district except certain ones hereinafter 

 specified, which should be referred to the general forestry commis- 

 sioner for his action, with the necessary information and the district 

 commissioner's recommendation appended. 



To enable the district commissioner to exercise a perfect control over 

 all portions of the tract within his jurisdiction a comprehensive system 

 of licenses should be made effective. It should cover all cases of every 

 nature where the removal of the timber from the public domain is 

 concerned. The district commissioner should issue licenses to all appli- 

 cants, except as hereinafter specified, and should keep accurate copies 



