40 



Progress of Improvement Work- 

 Detailed estimates have been received from many supervisors, and considerable 

 improvement work is already authorized upon many National Forests. The work 

 already begun and the purchase of telephone-line material has taken up the greater 

 part of the $125,000 of the special improvement fund appropriated by Congress, which 

 is available for use before the beginning of the fiscal year 1908. 



OFFICE OF LANDS. 



Banger Stations 



The work of listing agricultural lands within National Forests is being retarded by 

 failure of the forest officers to forward rapidly descriptions of the land which should 

 be retained for rangers' headquarters, nursery sites, and other administrative pur- 

 poses. The failure to make such reports has arisen largely from lack of study of the 

 instructions. 



Every forest officer should make careful study of the detailed instructions given in 

 Forest Reserve Order No. 23 (consisting of parts 1, 2, and 3) and in National Forest 

 Order 23 (consisting of part 4) and report at once what tracts are available and may 

 be needed for administrative purposes. 



The term Ranger Stations applies not only to rangers' headquarters, but also 

 includes nursery sites. See page 4 of Forest Reserve Order No. 23 (part 1). 



Forest officers in every case when forwarding diagrams for withdrawal of lands for 

 administrative use should state in the letter of transmittal to the Forester the char- 

 acter of the land whether- mineral or nonmineral. 



Agricultural Settlement under the Act of June 11, 1906 



Hereafter no duplicate reports will be required. In cases of appeal duplicate 

 reports and map will be furnished by the Washington Office. 



Special Uses 



In many special-use transactions the supervisors have sent to the applicant for 

 execution not only the original and duplicate copies of the agreements prepared 

 by the Forester for execution but also, the supervisors' and rangers' copies. Only 

 the original and duplicate copies should.be sent to the applicants for execution. 

 The supervisor's copy should always be kept in his file, and the signatures and dates 

 of execution and approval should be filled in by him. The ranger's copy should be 

 sent to the ranger at the same time the original and duplicate copies are sent to the 

 applicant, because the letter of transmital (Form 946) used by the supervisors in 

 sending the original and duplicate copies to the applicant for execution notifies the 

 applicant that he may begin enjoyment of the special use immediately upon execut- 

 ing and mailing both copies of the agreement and making any payment required, 

 and the ranger should always have in his possession, at the time the applicant is 

 entitled to begin his special use, a copy of the agreement [showing'exactly what 

 permission has been given. The ranger may later, at his convenience, fill out his 

 copy to show the dates of execution and approval. 



