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AMERICAN FORESTRY 



In administering the national forests the 

 first task is to protect them from destruc- 

 tion by fire. In order adequately to pro- 

 tect forests from destruction by fire, the 

 first necessity is a system of roads and trails 

 to enable proper patrol and movement of 

 fire fighters, and telephone lines for quick 

 communication. The second necessity is a 

 well organized force of rangers and guards 

 to patrol the forests and fight fires. Ever 

 since the national forests were placed under 

 the administration of the Forest Serivce the 

 construction of trails and telephone lines 

 has been pushed as rapidly as funds could 

 be secured for that purpose. Although there 

 have already been built 9,218 miles of frails, 

 1,218 miles of roads and 4,851 miles of tele- 

 phone lines, this represents but a beginning 

 of the work when the vast area of inaccessi- 

 *ble and undeveloped forests is considered 

 The Forest Service has a well organized 

 protective service for patrol and fire fight- 

 ing, though the number of men is still in- 

 adequate. Nevertheless it has been possi- 

 ble in ordinary seasons to keep down the 

 fires to a small loss. Durmg the present 

 season there have been in the Northwest an 

 unparalleled drouth and constant high 

 winds that have made fire protection unusu- 

 ally difficult. Innumerable fires were started 

 from various causes in the forests. The 

 woods were dry and a small spark was 

 sufficient to start a blaze. Where there were 

 roads and trails the patrolmen were able to 

 reach the fires quickly and either put them 

 out in their incipiency, or soon mobilized a 

 force of men who brought them under con- 

 trol before they had done much damage. 

 This was well demonstrated by the fact 

 that in the Montana and Idaho districts the 

 majority of railroad fires were put out by 

 the patrolmen before they reached danger- 

 ous proportions. Many fires were started 

 also in the inaccessible portions of the for- 

 est where there are no roads and trails. !*■ 

 was often impossible to reach those fires 

 imtil they had been burning for several 

 days and in many cases had become dan- 

 gerous conflagrations. The disastrous fires 

 were those occu'rring under these conditions. 



The great lesson of these fires is the ab- 

 solute necessity of complete system of roads 

 and trails and telephone lines. I meet som*^ 

 men who say that forests can not be pro- 

 tected from fire and that sooner or later 

 every extensive forest will be burned. The 

 experience in the northwest this year only 

 strengthens my conviction that forests can 

 be protected from fire even under the most 

 adverse climatic conditions. But this pro 

 tection absolutely requires a proper develop- 

 ment of the forest in the way of transpor 

 tation and communication, and an_ adequate 

 force of men for patrol. The national for- 



ests can be rendered safe from fire, but they 

 must be organized for it. This requires 

 extensive construction work at the outset. 

 It requires a large investment in perma- 

 nent improvement work by the gov- 

 ernment. But that necessary expense 

 is insignificant in comparison with the 

 value of property which will be pro- 

 tected and the benefits to the communi- 

 ties and industries depending on these for- 

 ests. 



The national forests are for use and are 

 administered primarily for the benefit of 

 those states and communities in which they 

 are located. The various resources are 

 opened to use under reasonable restrictions 

 which will guarantee their best continuous 

 service to the greatest possible number of 

 people. The mature timber is cut when 

 there is a demand for its use, but the cut- 

 ting is conducted under the principles of 

 forestry, so that new growth is established 

 in openings made by lumbering and the con- 

 tinued supply of timber is provided for. 



The government should encourage the 

 utilization of the mature timber and sell 

 such as can be absorbed by a legitimate de- 

 mand. The timber should not be sold for 

 less, than its real value. If the demand is 

 not sufficient to bring its real value, the 

 timber should be held as a reserve till it is 

 really required, as it soon will be. The na- 

 tional forests should not be managed with 

 reference solely to public revenue. The 

 policy of timber sales and other business on 

 the forest must be based primarily on prin- 

 ciples of broad public economy. 



The other resources of the national for- 

 ests are also being put to use. The grass is 

 utilized under a system of regulated graz- 

 ing, land more valuable for agriculture than 

 for forest purposes is opened to entry under 

 the forest homestead act, prospecting is al- 

 lowed without restriction and legitimate 

 mining encouraged. It is the aim of the 

 Forest Service to encourage the develop- 

 ment of water powers, and we are endeav- 

 oring to work out a practical plan which 

 will facilitate this development by private 

 capital, and at the same time protect the in- 

 terests of the public. I believe that the use 

 of water power sites on federal lands should 

 be under government control, and I be- 

 lieve that this can be accomplished so as 

 not to prevent the attraction of capital to 

 their development. 



So far as the national forests are con- 

 cerned, conservation has already been car- 

 ried into the practical stage, for It is being 

 put into actual operation. The national for- 

 ests will always stand as a monument to 

 the work of the real founder of the conser- 

 vation movement, Gifford Pinchot. 



