14 The Mountaineer 
of a rough mountainous region in a locality of heavy rain, for which 
the Olympie Peninsula is especially noted, and, within the boundaries 
of the National Forest, which totals 1,538,000 acres, or 2400 square 
miles, of unalienated land, 375,000 acres is classed as alpine and non- 
commercial forest, into which cutting will never be permitted because 
of its greater value for purely watershed protection purposes. Limited 
tracts, even in the commercial forest area, will develop as business and 
community interests increase, to have special values as sources of 
municipal water supply, justifying special considerations in the timber 
sale policy. 
Somewhat apart from the forest cover itself, is the rapidly inereas- 
ing importance of water-power sites. The Olympic National Forest, on 
account of its particularly heavy rainfall—heaviest in the United 
States—its unusually large number of streams, and its prominently 
steep slopes, is especially rich in this resource, and the continuation 
of the present forest policy will mean in the not very distant future 
the development of a vast amount of commercial water-power under 
a non-monopolistic leasing system, whereby the benefits will be shared 
by all the people. For, with water-power, as in the case of National 
Forest timber, true conservation means use under a earefully drawn 
contract, which tends to bring about the highest development in the 
shortest practicable time and guarantees a commensurate revenue to 
the Government. 
The special use business on any national forest arises from the 
fact that all lands have for some natural or artificial reason greater 
value along some one line than any other, and in order to encourage 
this—the highest use—special permits are issued. On the Olympie, 
there are now nearly 100 such permits in effect, most of which are for 
lots for summer residence purposes on the shores of Lakes Crescent 
and Queniult, for which a small annual charge averaging $10 is made. 
Other special use permits cover hotels, sawmills, pastures, ditches, pipe- 
lines, telephone lines, schools, ete., some of which are issued free. 
With the improvement of roads, trails, and other transportation 
facilities, the special use business on this forest, because of the great 
variety of interesting scenie features and many possible activities, is 
certain to grow to large proportions, and the present policy encourages 
this. ; 
The grazing business is of but very minor importance, due to a 
lack of favorable range within easy access, and but a small amount of 
tree planting on extensive burns is necessary here. The alpine areas, 
which inelude the only grass land on the forest, constitute about 20% 
of the total acreage, but they are at such high elevations, 3500 to 
6000 feet, as to make them suitable for livestock only two or three 
months in the summer. Burns constitute only 4% of the total area 
