\' 



210 AGRiri'LTURAL APPROPRIATION BILL, 1924. 



Friday, Novp:.\ibeu 17, 1022. 

 FOREST SERVICE. 

 STATEMENT OF COL. W. B. GREELEY, FORESTER IN CHIEF. 



AREA OF NATIONAL P'ORESTS — RECEIPTS FROM SALE OF TIMBER AM) 



GRAZING FEES. 



Mr. Anderson. Colonel, do you want to make a preliminarv 

 statement before we take up the statutory roll? 



Colonel Greeley. I would like to, Mr. Anderson. 



Mr. Anderson, All right, sir. 



Colonel Greeley. I believe it desirable to orive the committee a 

 general picture of the situation on the national forests which absorb 

 the bulk of our expenditures. 



During the past fiscal year the area of the national forests was in- 

 creased by 171,000 acres and now reaches a total very close to 157,- 

 000,000 acres. That increase has come about chiefly through the pur- 

 chase of lands in the Eastern States under the Weeks law. 



The receipts from the national forests in the past year reached the 

 highest figure during their administration, or a total of -So, 068.000. A 

 portion of these receipts should be credited to business handled 

 during the preceding year; that is, the grazing business for whicli 

 payments were deferred by act of Congress. On the other hand, 

 certain grazing receipts that would normally be paid during the fiscal 

 year just closed were postponed hy authority of the Secretary of 

 Agriculture until the next fiscal year, so that the grazing receipts 

 partially balance. The total receipts of over $5,000,000 represent 

 in an approximate way the growing of the national ftirests. 



I want to call attention to the fact that the receipts have now 

 reached a point where they nearly offset the expenditures for pro- 

 tection and administration. Those expenditures amounted Inst year 

 to $5,127,000 as compared with receipts of So.OtiS.OOO. We" are 

 gradually closing the gap. These figures ilo not include the emer- 

 gency expenditures for fire fighting but are based up;)n the normal 

 cost of maintaining the protective organization and handling the 

 use of resources. 



SALE OF TIMBEH. 



Thetimberbusinesson the national forests last yearshowodin receipts 

 and cut sul)slantially the same volume as during the picceding fiscal 

 year. The cut was a little over 800.000,000 board feet, and the 

 receipts from sales of timber $1,S28.00(). The receipts during the 

 year reflected the ups and downs in the luml)er markets of the count rv 

 and begiiuiing last spring showed a very rapiil inci'ease. 



We made during the year 13,087 timber sales with a total of 

 2,10(),()00,()0() board feet. " This is the largest year's timber business 

 we have yet had. It represents an incon\e of a little over Jjili.OOO.OOO 

 whicli will be realizeil mainly within the next 10 years. Many of 

 these sale contracts extend over j)erio(ls of several years. 



During the last six months the saU's business has increasi>d at a 

 veiy rajjid rate. The cut during the last three months .Iul> , 

 August, and September reached nearly 000,000, 000 board feet 



I 



