PrXOX-JUN'IPER LAND PROBLEM 541 



By following this method the pinon-juniper type of land will be- 

 come of the greatest value to the region that they serve. The rec<Mn- 

 mended disposition of them and the method of handling them can 

 only be brought about by making them a part of the National Forests 

 and they should, therefore, be added to them as soon as possible. 



The benefits to be gained by so doing will be : 



1. A sustained yield of cedar post and pole material and pinon fuel 

 will be made available for the region tributary to the type. 



2. The much needed protection afforded to the farming lands by a 

 timber cover will be insured. 



3. The pinon-juniper lands being naturally warmer and having an 

 earlier opening of growing season will be ready for grazing sooner 

 in the spring than the ranges now included in the National Forests 

 and they can, therefore, be used for that purpose, making possible the 

 keeping of stock off the present National Forest ranges until they 

 are ready. 



4. The snowfall will be conserved. 



There will be strong objections raised by many interests to the 

 withdrawal of the so-called dry lands from farming use, but I have 

 shown that the use of such lands for forest purposes will result in the 

 greatest good for the greatest number. The problems involved in 

 taking over the pinon-juniper lands and putting them under manage- 

 ment are the kinds that the men in charge of the National Forest are 

 constantly solving, consequently the lands should be turned over to 

 them at once. 



DISCUSSION 



In the discussion which followed, a fev/ of the leading points brought 

 out are summarized below : 



Keplinger thought that the use of this type under Forest Service 

 management would be about the same as it is under private control, 

 and that it makes little difference w^hether these lands are inside or 

 outside the Forest boundaries. Most of the business would be free 

 use or S-22 sales which would be handled with very little supervision 

 and in practically the same way as this material is now^ cut. except for 

 a little more care to prevent denudation. Regulated grazing seems to 

 be the best argument for the inclusion of these lands, admitting that 

 grazing is a legitimate use for their addition. 



