REPORT OF THE SECRETARY. 95 



cooperation in patrol of the lines and the reporting of all fires discov- 

 ered, deserve special mention, and the same is true of the increasing 

 desire of timberland owners to provide systematic protection of their 

 extensive holdings. Where these holdings are either adjacent to or 

 intermingled with National Forest land in such a way as to make a 

 common system of protection advantageous to both parties, the For- 

 est Service and the associations have joined forces. 



FOREST MANAGEMENT. 



There was cut on the National Forests during the year a total of 

 almost 500,000,000 board feet of timber, of which about 375,000,000 

 feet was sold and over 123,000,000 feet cut under free use. The 

 total value of the timber cut under sales was $843,000, a decrease of 

 $63,000 from the previous year. The contracts of sale entered into 

 during the year, however, disposed of over $2,000,000 worth of tim- 

 ber — an increase of 50 per cent over the corresponding amount for 

 the previous year. The average stumpage price obtained for the 

 timber sold was $2.56, as against $2.44 in 1910. 



It is estimated that the annual cut which might be obtained from 

 the National Forests without diminishing the available supply (since 

 the increase by growth would offset it) is over 3,250,000,000 feet, or 

 more than six times what was cut. The Forests are now a heavy 

 charge on the Government, and much of the timber is overmature. 

 A natural question is: Why are not the sales increased, at least to 

 the point at which the Forests will pay their way? 



The answer is readily given. Since the panic of 1907 the lumber 

 market has been depressed. During the past year there has been 

 overproduction in the Northwest, where the heaviest stands of 

 National Forest timber are found. To obtain any great increase in 

 the receipts from timber sales last year I should have had to offer 

 the timber at a price far below its actual value. The public is now 

 amply supplied. Within a relatively few years the timber on the 

 National Forests will be in great demand to meet fast-growing neces- 

 sities and to help develop the West. I should be utterly disregardful 

 of my responsibility and duty to the public, which owns the timber, 

 if I were to permit large amounts to be needlessly sold on bargain- 

 day terms, and with the knowledge that instead of promoting the 

 conservation of our timber resources I am accelerating their waste. 



Vigorous efforts to dispose of at least a considerable fraction of 

 the timber killed in last year's fires culminated after the close of 

 the fiscal year in several large sales, aggregating about 290,000,000 

 feet. It is hoped to be able to sell perhaps 1.000,000,000 of the esti- 

 mated 6,000,000,000 feet of dead timber which formed the aftermath 

 of these fires; the remainder is too remote from present demands to 



