46 



National Resources Committee 



In addition to this "big game," there are said to be 

 some 320,000 fur-bearing animals such as weasel, martin, 

 mink, beaver, etc. These numbers are for the national 

 forests only, and if figures were available for the other 

 half of the forest land, their addition would, of course, 

 greatly increase the totals. 



An interesting fact in this connection is that the big 

 game seems to be increasing in numbers. The above 

 figures are about 20 percent liigher than the correspond- 

 ing figures of 5 years before. Contributing to this 

 increase are the very extensive game refuges of various 

 sorts, which occupy an area of over 14 million acres. 

 In the national parks, also, hunting is entirely prohibited 



While there are local shortages of game, due to 

 overlmntLng or illegal huntmg, there are other areas 

 in which the game refuges have resulted in an over- 

 production. Forest lands, are, after all, merely the 

 natural summer range of such aniuals as deer and elk; 

 their natural winter range has much of it long since 

 been fenced for agriculture or pasturage. It is, gener- 

 ally, the capacity of the remammg whiter range which 

 limits the population of these animals, although this 

 fact is usually not understood by the general public. 



Because of this fact, there is little conflict between 

 the interests of the sportsman and of the other users 

 of the forests. Hunting and fishmg are a highly desir- 

 able byproduct of timber growing. 



Present Activities Which Are Improving 

 Forest Situation 



It has been seen that the present condition of the 

 Region's vast forest resource is unsatisfactory. The 

 lumber industrj-, on which local prosperity is so largely 

 based, camiot long be continued on its present scale. 

 It has failed to make satisfactory profits in the past. 

 It must make uneconomic migrations within the 

 Region in the future, although in western Washington 

 expansion of the pulp and paper industry probably will 

 maintam many of the existing communities. Oidy 

 about half of the forest land is beuig managed with 

 regard to the future welfare of the public. The owner- 

 ship and tax situation is a deterrent to any such man- 

 agement on most of the remaining half. 



Much is already being done to unprove the situation. 

 Along certain lines accomplishment is already sub- 

 stantial, while along others a beginning has hardly been 

 made. 



The Progress of Forestry 



For some three decades technically trained foresters 

 have been working on the problems of this Region. 

 In the early days these technicians were almost exclu- 

 sively in Federal governmental positions, principally 

 in the United States Forest Service, but today a sub- 



stantial number are to be found in State services, edu- 

 cational institutions, and in industry. The Region 

 has forestry branches m four colleges or universities, 

 one in each State, so that increasing numbers of trained 

 forestere are available. Many more are drawn from 

 educational institutions outside of the Region. 



Not only has the work of this body of technical men 

 resulted in substantial progress along hues, some of 

 which will presently be described, but it has made the 

 public increasingly aware of the importance of forestry 

 to the Pacific Northwest. WhUe a quarter of a centurj' 

 ago forestry was an almost miknown word to the aver- 

 age citizen, today he recognizes its general importance, 

 although he may know little of its technique. 



The followmg may be cited as leading examples of 

 Imes along wliich forestry technique and education has 

 made substantial contributions, or has, in some cases, 

 merely started along constructive lines. 



Increasing the Growth Rate 



With the exception of the revested Oregon and Cali- 

 fornia lands, most of the public timber has for many 

 years been cut in such a manner as to leave the forests 

 in good condition for future growth. At the time the 

 Lumber Code was formulated (mider the National 

 Industrial Recovery Act of 1933), the lumber uidustry 

 assumed the obligation to take whatever steps were 

 practicable along the same line. "Forest practice 

 rules" were adopted and made a part of the Code (art. 

 X). These difl'ered with the forest conditions en- 

 countered, but their uniform purpose was to leave 

 enough trees to serve as a source of seed or a nucleus 

 for a second tuuber crop, and also to dispose of the 

 slash resulting from logging in such a manner as to 

 facilitate the protection of this future crop. These 

 rules have been contuiued voluntaiily through activities 

 of lumber trade associations. In Idaho the legislature 

 has made compliance with these rules mandatory withhi 

 all forest protective districts. Neither the rules them- 

 selves nor the compUance therewith are perfect, but 

 they represent a substantial accomphshment, although 

 the growth rate which can be expected under them 

 leaves sometliing to be desired. 



Even on the best managed public forests, there is a 

 chance for betterment. The United States Forest 

 Service is conductuig silvicultural mvestigations and 

 studymg growth rates, and from this research much is 

 to be expected. 



It has been shown that no very large proportion of 

 the Region's forest area is unstocked with young trees 

 as the result of cuttmg or bum, but the total unstocked 

 acreage is large, and in some localities this type of 

 land is important in its proportions, and exceptionally 

 accessible to natural uidustrial centers. On account of 

 the ownership situation, little is as yet being done to 



