FOREST SERVICE. 



183 



Planting and sowing on National Forests, by States, WIS. 



KANGE. 



An exceptionally heavy burden has been placed on the National 

 Forest ranges by the war. The needs of the country made impera- 

 tive the most aggressive action possible for facilitating and stimu- 

 lating the production of meats, hides, and wool. Provision for more 

 live stock on the ranges has been along two lines. Use of new areas 

 has been brought about, iind larger numbers of stock have been ad- 

 mitted to the ranges already in use. 



Both courses of action necessitated skillful range administration. 

 The demand for grazing privileges for years has been in most 

 localities far beyond the carrying capacity of the Forests. Unused 

 range was to be found only where it was very difficult to reach, un- 

 usable for lack of water, or overlooked because under the customary 

 methods of handling stock the animals passed it by — the nooks and 

 corners, as it were, of ranges supposedly already occupied to their 

 full normal capacity. On the other hand, emergency increases 

 through allowing heavier use of the areas already carrying stock 

 involved the risk of overgrazing. To meet the situation the best 

 grazing experts in the Service were taken from their usual work 

 and organized as an inspecting force, charged with the twofold 

 duty of locating all unused portions of the range and devising 

 methods for making it available, and of observing closely the condi- 

 tions of the ranges already occupied to determine up to what limit it 

 might be possible to make temporary increases without serious im- 

 pairment of productive capacity. Plans were pressed forward for 

 opening up inaccessible ranges and securing the development of 

 water on dry ranges, and every effort was made to insure the best 

 distribution of the stock so that none of the forage crop might be 

 wasted. AVherever the condition of the range permitted, the graz- 

 ing authorizations were raised and the effect carefully studied. The 

 result was to increase the number of animals permitted to graze 

 on the National Forests bv about 1,063,000. 



Both range and market conditions were exceptional throughout 

 the fiscal year 1918. The summer and fall season of 1917 was dry. 

 Feed everywhere was short; yet live stook of all kinds came from 



