FOREST SERVICE. 491 



as cruising, the marking of timber for cutting, and brush disposal 

 the service has, with the consent of the Bureau of Entomology, taken 

 over the routine field work. Cooperation is to be continued in the 

 control of special outbreaks for which proper methods are not yet 

 known and along investigative lines in order to develop and improve 

 existing methods of control. A trained force of forest oflScers for 

 this work will be developed as needed. It has already been necessary 

 to assign one man each to districts 1, 5, and 6. 



THE TIMBER SALE POLICY. 



The national forests contain nearly 600,000,000,000 feet of mer- 

 chantable timber. Nearly 350.000,000,000 feet is ripe for the ax 

 and deteriorating in value, rapidly on areas swept by fire, gradually 

 on areas where the forest is mature and the trees are slowly yielding 

 to decay. Standing timber, unlike coal deposits, can not be held in 

 storage indefinitely. To the extent to which the overripe timber on 

 the national forests can not be cut and used while merchantable, 

 public property is wasted. It has already been pointed out that 

 the annual growth of wood on the national forests is equivalent to 

 over 6,000,000,000 feet of lumber. This much can be cut every year 

 for all time without depleting the supply. To utilize the rapidly 

 deteriorating material and to aid in making the forests self-supporting 

 the actual ciit will be increased to approximately 3,000,000,000 feet 

 annually as soon as possible. The conservativeness of this policy is 

 evident when it is considered that there will be cut each year but 50 

 per cent of the annual growth on the forests, and less than 1 per cent 

 of their total stand of mature timber. Notwithstanding the in- 

 creased cut contemplated, this policy will reserve large amounts of 

 timber for use during the period when the effects of the timber 

 shortage are beginning to be felt. 



To put the national forests to use their ripe timber must be sold 

 under conditions practicable for the lumbering operator. Under 

 the policy in effect until last year of refusing to dispose of more than 

 approximately 100,000,000 feet in one sale or to allow a period for 

 cutting of more than five years, the annual sales of timber have 

 always been less tlian 1,000,000,000 feet. A large percentage of the 

 mature national forest timber is comparatively inaccessible, and, al- 

 though it occurs in large bodies, heavy investments are required for 

 the development of the transportation facilities necessary for its 

 removal. In two particular cases this investment was estimated at 

 more than $1,500,000. A change in policy to permit the sale of 

 larger amounts of timber with longer periods for cutting was men- 

 tioned in last year's report. This change has been well received by 

 purchasers and lias increased the demand for timber. Instead of 

 an arbitrary limit the amount which will be included in any sale is 

 now determined by the actual physical conditions met in logging 

 and the amount of capital which must be invested. Enough timber 

 is included in each sale to justify reasonable men in making the 

 investment necessary for its exploitation. The investment required 

 is estimated by forest officei-s. More than sufficient timber to justify 

 the outlay which the physical factors necessitate is not sold. 



