A PLAN FOR THE DISPOSAL OF INDIAN RESERVATION 

 TIMBERLANDS ' 



By E. a. Sherman 

 Associate Forester, U. S. forest Service 



The plan which I propose to present to you for the disposal of 

 Indian Reservation timberlands is not offered with the intimation that 

 it is new, novel, or original. Its essentials were embodied in the report 

 of the Secretary of Agriclulture dated January 33, 1920, submitted to 

 Congress in response to a request from the Chairman of the House 

 Committee on Indian Affairs and in the last three paragraphs of the 

 "Snell Bill." To that extent it becomes one of the important features 

 of the "national program of forestry." My plan merely consists in 

 including with the classification and reservation features of the last 

 three sections of the Snell bill as applied to Indian reservation timber 

 lands, and as partly expressed in the form of bill recommended by the 

 Secretary of Agriculture in his letter of January 23, the specific pro- 

 visions for valuation and compensation included in the latter measure. 



The plan which I propose, therefore, does not contain a single prop- 

 osition new in itself. It merely combines the better features of two 

 very similar measures. However, neither of these measures has re- 

 ceived such full and free discussion as the importance of the question 

 deserves. Their proposal has been overshadowed by other more 

 sharply defined issues. The purpose of this paper is to elaborate and, 

 so far as I am able, bring out the more important details essential to 

 the actual working of the complete plan. The report of the Secretary 

 of Agriculture and the proposed law embodied in that report and, in 

 many features, incorporated in the Snell bill, furnish the working 

 skeleton and driving power ; but to get a clear understanding of the 

 proposal it is necessary to give it form and feature. I hope to furnish 

 you a "speaking likeness." 



According to the official report of the Commissioner of Indian 

 Affairs for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1920, there were unallotted 

 Indian Reservation timber lands having acreage, volume, value, and 

 location as shown bv the following- table : 



^Read before the Washington Section of the Society of American Foresters, 

 February 24, 1921. 



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