LANDS PROBLEMS 809 



watersheds was the only solution. Individual cases acted upon by dif- 

 ferent men with different understandings of the problem and of the 

 situation resulted in inconsistency and many times in improper action. 

 The first classification project in this district was probably on the White 

 River, on the Wenatchee. where we covered the whole watershed, ob- 

 ■taining very reliable information on which to reject an ill-advised peti- 

 tion for elimination which had been signed by local people and by the 

 local Forest force as well, and delineating each tract of agricultural 

 land after reserving necessary ranger stations. 



We still continued classification work by watersheds in 191 1 and 

 1912, and beginning with August 10, 1912, an appropriation was se- 

 cured from Congress for the purpose of delineating agricultural lands 

 with greater expediency than heretofore. This resulted in giving us 

 the final solution of the problem. The Forester immediately began to 

 formulate a land classification policy and procedure which could be 

 understood and applied everywhere. For the first time agriculture was 

 defined as meaning the production of farm crops under established 

 farm methods. Meetings of lands men were held and drafts of instruc- 

 tions drawn up and continually bettered until about 1913, when a policy 

 of classification, based on the best ideas found in all the Service, was 

 adopted, and all logical points were finally worked into the instructions 

 and a systematic and final appeals procedure approved. At this time, 

 also, the Bureau of Soils experts were assigned, through an appropria- 

 tion made to that bureau, to assist in arriving at the agricultural values 

 of lands within the National Forests. Their reports were considered, 

 together with the Forest Service reports by the Forester, in finally ap- 

 proving action on the projects. 



As a result of the extensive and intensive classification, practically 

 all lands in Oregon and Washington — in fact, all National Forest lands 

 in the United States except 50 million acres, 20 million acres of which 

 are in Alaska — have been finally classified by the Secretary; 12,039,736 

 acres have been eliminated, 493,863 acres of which are in District 6. 



Those closest to the lands problems early found that the elimination 

 of areas whose presence within the Forests could not be justified was 

 one of the very strongest measures toward protection of the integrity 

 of the Forests themselves. They also found that these eliminations 

 should in all cases be based on the initiative of the department and not 

 on the initiative of petitioners. Eliminations based on petitions very 

 seriously affect the stability of the National Forest boundaries. The 

 action in these cases by the department is presumed by the i)cople to be 

 based upon their petitions, and they often then have no hesitation in 



