LANDS PROBLEMS 

 By C. J. Buck 



The work in the office of Lands is at present (February, 1918) in a 

 transition stage. Some lines are decreasing to a very gratifying extent 

 and new lines of work are opening up a series of problems which the 

 future must solve. 



The success, I may justly call it, in solving some of the difficulties of 

 the older and more vexing lands problems has raised the question as 

 to whether the office of Lands is not finishing its duties and working 

 itself out of a job. Such a comment strikes a very satisfactory response 

 in one who has wrestled with these problems for years — problems which 

 some members of the Service were beginning to feel were impossible of 

 ready solution. Lands work and lands problems will be just as impor- 

 tant and as difficult in the future, but along somewhat different lines. 



Lands work is fundamentally that of the mother office of the Na- 

 tional Forests. After the Forests were created, it became necessary to 

 protect and administer them. The office of Organization was then 

 created to handle this line of work. The selling of timber and the 

 practice of silviculture naturally grew into another office. 



The beginning, being the boundary work or the creation of the For- 

 ests, the next step in Lands work was naturally to conserve the bound- 

 aries of the Forests and to protect the land in its Government owner- 

 ship, which involved the protection of the areas from adverse and ill- 

 advised legislation and from fraudulent acquisition under existing legis- 

 lation. In order to conserve these boundaries, it was early found that 

 certain additional legislation was needed, such as the repeal of the old 

 lieu land law. .\ fundamental National Forest lands policy was also 

 absolutely necessary, and that policy early involved the idea of the 

 highest use — the best use of lands by the greatest number of people. 

 As a natural concomitant of this policy — and without which the Na- 

 tional Forest system could not stand — it became necessary to release 

 agricultural lands where such use was the highest. This was one of 

 the most troublesome problems and one which the Forest Service has 

 in a large measure solved. New phases of the problem will no doubt 

 continually arise, yet it appears certain that with a proper organization 

 each will be solved in a satisfactory manner under the land classifica- 



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