NATIONAL FOREST GRAZING POLICY 23 



the annual gross receipts are approximately $50,000,000. In 

 addition, the grazing fees in 1919 alone, which up to that time 

 had been below the actual commercial value of the privileges 

 granted, brought to the Government $2,609,170. 



From the figures and facts given it is evident that the grazing 

 business on the National Forests must receive proper protection. 

 The continued development and prosperity of this great industry 

 call for the closest possible harmonization of grazing with the 

 other resources of the Forests. 



National Forest Grazing Policy.^ — When the National Forests 

 were first created, all sheep were excluded from the ranges, 

 except in Oregon and Washington, where precipitation was 

 abundant and tree reproduction heavy. This was because the 

 behef prevailed that grazing was detrimental to timber produc- 

 tion and to the control of streamfiow. Although there were 

 many glaring examples of injury caused by livestock to the timber 

 reproduction as a result of the highly abusive grazing practices 

 which had prevailed before the Forests were established, there 

 was much thrifty growth of timber on long-used but moderately 

 grazed lands (Fig. 7). The entire exclusion of stock on Forest 

 lands generally in the early days was, in part, because of the 

 bad results of uncontrolled grazing of stock on European forests 

 where intensive silviculture had long been practiced. In Ger- 

 many, for example, damage by livestock to the timber repro- 

 duction under intensive use of th^ forest was recognized as 

 early as 11 58.- The grazing of cattle was restricted to open 

 parks and meadows; but the grazing of hogs on the German 

 forests could not always be controlled by the Government 

 because of the ancient peasant rights. 



The European Governments, in the administration of their 

 forests, failed to recognize the use of the range as a privilege," 



^ It is not the aim here to discuss the details of the grazing regulations as carried 

 out in the administration of the National Forest ranges, but rather to consider 

 briefly the broader grazing policies adopted in the harvesting of the forage crop. 

 For a full discussion of the National Forest grazing regulations the reader is re- 

 ferred to "The National Forest Manual" of the U. S. Forest Service. 



2 Fernow, B. E., "Economics of Forestry," p. 92. 



