FOREST SERVICE. 471 



The number and classification of the forest force on June 30, 1912, 

 was as follows: 



Supervisors 147 



Deputy supervisors 92 



Rangers 1, 393 



Guards 780 



Forest examiners and forest assistants 156 



Lumber and mining experts, engineers, land examiners, 



hunters, etc 156 



Clerks 171 



Total 2, 895 



To facilitate administration various changes were made in the 

 national forest units. In Oregon the Ochoco Forest was formed 

 from portions of the Deschutes and the Malheur Forests; the San- 

 tiam, from portions of the Oregon and Cascade; the Paulina, from 

 parts of the Deschutes, Fremont, Umpqua, Cascade, and Crater; and 

 the Minam Forest, from a part of the Wallowa. In Washington 

 the Okanogan Forest was formed by dividing the Chelan, and in 

 Wyoming the Bridger and the Washakie by dividing the Bonneville. 

 In Idaho the Selway Forest was formed from parts of the Clear- 

 water and the Nezperce, and the St. Joe from parts of the Coeur 

 d'Alene and the Clearwater. The Durango Forest in Colorado was 

 formed from the San Juan ; the Harney, in South Dakota, from the 

 Black Hills, with an addition of 58,730 acres of new territory; and 

 the Ruby, in Nevada, from the Plumboldt, with 12,820 acres of new 

 territory. The Garces Forest, in Arizona, was merged with the 

 Coronado. The Choctawhatchee and the Ocala Forests, in Florida, 

 were combined under the new name of the Florida National Forest. 

 With these changes the forests at the close of the year numbered 163. 

 The Luquillo Forest, in Porto Rico, is not under administration. 

 It was found possible to continue as single units of administration 

 the Tongass and Chugach Forests, in Alaska; the Toiyabe and 

 Moapa Forests, in Nevada ; the Manzano and Zuni Forests, in New 

 Mexico; the Micliigan and Marquette Forests, in Michigan; and the 

 Dakota and Sioux" Forests, in North and South Dakota and Mon- 

 tana. The average forest area was reduced from 1,070,545 acres to 

 1,003,700 acres. As business increases smaller units are needed. At 

 the end of the fiscal year there were 157 forest units. These were in 

 charge of 147 forest supervisors and 10 forest officers who were tem- 

 porarily in charge pending appointment of supervisors. 



At the end of the fiscal year 1912 there were 1,393 rangers on the 

 forests, as against 1,424 at the end of 1911, a decrease of 31; and 

 780 temporary fire guards, as against 52G June 30, 1911, an increase 

 of 254. This is for better fire protftction by reducing the permanent 

 and increasing the temporary force. 1^ nuuiber of deputy forest 

 supervisors was reduced by 8. 



Temporary fire guards are appointed, to the extent permitted by 

 the funds available, as the increasing risk of fire due to the oncoming 

 of the fire season demands. The protective force is largest when 

 the fire season is at its height. Owing to the fact that the act pro- 

 viding appropriations for the fiscal year 1913 did not })ecome law 

 until August 10, and that in the interval between (he close of the 

 fiscal year 1912 and tluit date, the period of normally heaviest ex- 



