The Mountaineer 17 
within the forest; unproductive or barren lands, such as the high 
mountain regions of glaciers and perpetual snow in the Mount Olympus 
region, and many high, sharp ridges which cap the steep eastern slopes, 
amount to about 16% ; and the remaining 60% is productive timber 
land. Young growth, or immature timber, amounts only to about 5% 
in the productive timber acreage. 
As another phase of forest business, but one which does not enter 
into the final plan of forest management, the classification for home- 
stead entry of those lands chiefly valuable for agricultural use deserves 
mention. Close to 9000 aeres of such land scattered along a few of 
the narrow river and creek valleys on the north and east slopes, but 
principally in the Queniult lake and Queets river region of the south- 
west, have already been listed and a few hundred acres more will 
likely follow in the next several years. Agricultural land now covered 
with commercial timber is not subject to listing until it becomes prac- 
ticable for the Government to dispose of the timber, for it is only in 
this way that the entry of lands, under the guise of farming, for 
timber speculation and eventual control by large timber-holding com- 
panies, can be thwarted. However, as the timber on such lands be- 
comes saleable, it will be clear-cut and the area for agricultural settle- 
ment increased accordingly, thus again bearing out the true principle 
of conservation. Mining, too, is encouraged, and is governed by 
exactly the same laws on national forest lands as on the government 
lands outside. 
Thus far, consideration in this article has been confined to the 
more concrete or business values of the Olympic National Forest, 
either as now in actual realization or as eventually assured. As a 
related feature, however, in this same subject of valuation, aithough 
not measurable in dollars and cents, this forest has, due to its unique 
location, its beautiful lakes and wealth of fascinating rivers, its 
great abundance of unusual scenic features, and several medical hot 
springs, its many high rugged mountain peaks and ridges, regions 
of perpetual snow and glaciers, its wild and highly interesting alpine 
park areas, and its wealth of birds and wild game—including some 
2,500 Olympie elk—a value for public recreation purposes entirely 
beyond calculation. Being within easy access from Puget Sound 
points on the east, Gray’s Harbor on the south, and Victoria on the 
north, it ranks unusually high as a vast public summer playground, 
and as road, trail, and telephone line construction progresses, opening 
up new territory, this interest will naturally greatly augment. From 
the very irregular central mass of mountains, culminating toward the 
northwest in Mt. Olympus, about 8,200 feet in altitude, the many 
streams radiate in every direction, pouring their turbulent waters 
into the Pacific, the Straits of Juan de Fuca, and Hood Canal. This 
