PLANTING IN RELATION TO THE FUTURE OF NATIONAL 



FORESTS 



By Fred R. Johnson 

 Forest Examiner, U. S. Forest Service 



We wish to discuss a. phase of the grazing policy on the National 

 Forests as influenced by the present war, which, when combined with 

 some natural consequences following the war, may react to work a 

 possible injury to our National Forests ; and also how an effective 

 planting polic\- may have much to do with offsetting this threatened 

 danger. 



In 1917, in an effort to make the National Forests play a helpful part 

 in winning the war, increases were allowed in the grazing authoriza- 

 tions of the various Forests of 200,000 sheep and 100,000 cattle. It 

 was announced that the Secretary of Agriculture felt that it was neces- 

 sary to take some chance of overgrazing in the interest of large imme- 

 diate production. In 1918 this policy was further continued and 188,000 

 head of cattle and 876,000 sheep were grazed over and above the 19 17 

 figures. This is pleasing in a number of ways : 



(i) It makes us feel that the National Forests have been of some 

 material assistance in providing forage for the much larger herds that 

 are necessary if we expect to furnish the additional food for starving 

 Europe in accordance with the plans of the Food Administration. 



(2) It materially increases our receipts and helps to bring the organi- 

 zation nearer the desired self-supporting basis. 



On the other hand, are not the dangers from a policy of this kind 

 much greater than any possible benefit to be derived from overcrowding 

 the Forests with stock without making adequate investigations to deter- 

 mine the damage that is being done to the natural forest growth? 

 There is no need in this article to discuss the effort that is alread\^ being 

 made by stockmen to have their "temporary emergency permits" made 

 permanent on the grounds that since the range has carried the increased 

 number for two seasons it can carry them indefinitely, nor of the ten- 

 dency on the part of supervisors to forget the silvicultural viewpoint 

 and look upon their Forests as big ranges. The Forester has foreseen 

 this very danger and has sounded a word of warning. 



Tliis matter of temporary increases is not the danger, as I see it. so 



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