530 



ANNUAL UEl'OUTS OF DEPARTMENT OE ACIUICULTURE. 



Projrcta. 



Trails 



Telephone lines 



Lookout stations 



Fire lines 



Roads 



Bridges 



Fences 



Corrals 



Water improvement 



Houses, barns, and other buildings 



Percentage 



of 1»1'2 



Increase or 



decrease 



In amount 



done. 



152 



176 



65 



34 



84 



128 



—21 



49 



31 



The estimated present value of all improvements on the forests, on 

 the basis of what it would cost to replace them, but with allow^ance 

 for depreciation, is $2,7U1,308. This is considerably more than the 

 total of all sums ever appropriated by Congress specifically for both 

 construction and maintenance of permanent improvements. A good 

 deal of improvement work was done before provision for it under a 

 separate appropriation clause began; but the chief reason why the 

 value of the property on hand is largely in excess of the sums spe- 

 cifically allotted for this work is the large extent to which the time of 

 rangers and guards is utilized in constructing and maintaining im- 

 provements. Thus much of the money which it is necessary to spend 

 for general administration and protection serves at the same time to 

 increase the equipment on the forests. 



Every forest supervisor is keenly alive to the great importance of 

 more roads, trails, and other improvements, and is quick to seize 

 every opportunity to employ his men in this work in all free inter- 

 vals and to combine protective and development w^ork. Men who are 

 watching the forests for fire protection can at the same time be 

 utilized largely in trail building and similar work. As has been ex- 

 plained in earlier reports, carefully prepared plans contemplating 

 the complete equipment of every forest with the facilities needed for 

 its best protection and use are in each supervisor's office. These plans 

 distinguish between the primary and the secondary system, and 

 classify the primary work in the order of importance of the various 

 projects to be undertaken. The primary system is that fundamental 

 to safety and efficiency under existing conditions. The secondary sys- 

 tem is supplementary, to provide for intensive development and use. 

 Even the primary system is no more than fairly begun. The imme- 

 diate needs of the forests call for 80,000 miles more of trails, 40,000 

 miles more of telephone lines, and many other improvements. It is 

 of the greatest importance that the extension of the system of im- 

 provements be urged forward with all speed, and there is no more 

 crying need for larger provision of funds by Congi-ess for national 

 forest work, in the interest of protection and development of a vast 

 property, than that created by this line of activity. 



ACQUISITION OF LANDS UNDER THE WEEKS LAW. 



The first full year's work under the Weeks law resulted in the gen- 

 eral approval for purchase by the National Forest Eeservation Com- 

 mission of 255,822 acres of land. Because of unavoidable delay in 



