610 A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



reservation except those in the States of Minnesota and Wisconsin. 

 This act provided that the proceeds derived from sales of timber 

 from tribal lands should be used for the benefit of the Indians of the 

 reservation from which the timber was sold. 



Prior to the passage of this act no general policy for the manage- 

 ment of the Indian forest property had been promulgated. Ques- 

 tions of forestry policies on the several reservations had been handled 

 administratively on the basis of the merits and needs of individual 

 cases, and in accordance with legislation concerning specific reserva- 

 tions. For a short period (January 1908 to July 1909) the adminis- 

 tration of Indian timberlands was under the jurisdiction of the Forest 

 Service of the Department of Agriculture, but this agreement was 

 in effect for too short a time to have much bearing on the develop- 

 ment of a forest policy on Indian lands. Prior to 1910 the main 

 development and exploitation of the Indian forests had, for economic 

 reasons, taken place in the Lake States. The more inaccessible 

 reservations of the West had received comparatively little attention, 

 for the economic development of the West had not yet reached the 

 point where there was any strong demand for the timber on these 

 reservations. 



The act of 1910, however, clearly contemplated conservative man- 

 agement of Indian timberlands, providing as it did for departmental 

 regulations, and necessitating the development of a staff of men to 

 carry out the intent of the act. 



The organization of the forestry branch of the Indian Service, as 

 it is today, was begun early in 1910, the Indian Appropriation Act 

 for the fiscal year 1910 having set aside $100,000. 



To enable the Commissioner of Indian Affairs, under the direction of the 

 Secretary of the Interior, to make investigations on Indian reservations and take 

 measures for the purpose of preserving living and growing timber, and removing 

 dead timber, standing or fallen; to advise the Indians as to the proper care of 

 forests, and to conduct such timber operations and sales of timber as may be 

 deemed advisable and provided for by law. 



Similar items in every Indian appropriation act subsequent to 1910 

 have made possible the building up of the Forestry Branch of the 

 Indian Service. 



EXTENT AND IMPORTANCE OF THE INDIAN FOREST 



RESOURCES 



The fact that the net acreage of Indian land has increased in 

 recent years is of interest. On June 30, 1929, there were approxi- 

 mately 71 million acres of lands held in trust for the Indians by the 

 Government, of which 39 million acres had been allotted to individual 

 Indians and 32 million acres was unallotted or tribal land (table 1). 

 During the fiscal years ending June 30, 1930, and June 30, 1931, the 

 area of Indian allotted lands increased by about 43,000 acres, owing 

 to the excess of acreage of new allotments over acreage of allotted 

 land sold and fee patented, and the area of unallotted land increased 

 by about 181,000 acres, the excess of areas purchased and added by 

 Executive orders over areas allotted; making a net increase of about 

 224,000 acres. 



Approximately 9 million acres of Indian forest land are under the 

 jurisdiction of the Forestry Branch of the Indian Service, but it is 

 impossible to list these lands as allotted or unallotted. 



