REPOET OF THE SECRETARY. 87 



feet. Though the aggregate is so great it shows a low average stand — 

 under 4,000 board feet per acre. It is true that a considerable acreage 

 of National Forest land lies so high that it will never furnish much 

 merchantable timber, and that much other land is too arid to grow 

 such timber, although it supports a protective cover which nmst be 

 maintained for the sake of its influence upon water supplies. 



The cutting wliich now takes place does not offset the increase. 

 Even the exceptional fires of the summer of 1910 — fires due to such 

 an extraordinary combination of natural conditions — hardly wiped 

 out the increment of the year. 



NATURAL AND ARTIFICIAL REFORESTATION. 



Where it may be a matter of waiting for centuries if the forest were 

 to be left to accomplish its own return to the areas from which it has 

 been completely dislodged, artificial reforestation must be, and is 

 being, undertaken at once. The work, hitherto mainly experimental, 

 is now entering on what promises to be a practical and successful 

 stage; extensive experimentation must nevertheless be continued, 

 along with practical work where the means of making this a success 

 have been found, in order that the field which lies open may be 

 covered in every part. 



Especially encouraging has been the progress made with direct 

 sowing of the Forests. Not only have a large number of methods 

 been given experimental test, but also definite and valuable results 

 have been obtained in some regions. Over 9,000 acres in all were 

 sown during the year, while some planting or sowing was done on 

 practically every National Forest. The work will continue during 

 the present year on a much larger scale. 



Keforestation must follow lumbering as well as fire if the Forests 

 are to be both permanent and fully useful. The methods of cutting 

 employed by the Forest Service are always planned with, especial 

 reference to bringing about such reproduction as is desired. The 

 natural reforestation which can be obtained through lumbering when 

 the latter is made a means of applying forestry has many advan- 

 tages over the natural reforestation already described as taking place 

 on the burned areas of the Forests. Instead of having large areas 

 on wliich there are no seed trees, careful selection and reservation is 

 made of trees so spaced and situated as to insure ample seed dis- 

 tribution wherever room is opened for new growth. Instead of hav- 

 ing a substitution of valueless or inferior trees for those most valua- 

 ble, the cuttings are planned \\'ith reference to removing from the 

 forest, so far as possible, undesirable species. 



The work of reforestation is so important that I consider it justi- 

 fies and demands immediate provision for pushing it forward, and I 



