234 A(}RICULTURAL APPROPRIATION BILL, 1924. 



the lowest nverajie cost for wliich lands have been purchased since 

 this policy hcjran and because it indicates that the cut-over land 

 market iii the Eastern States at the present time is distinctly a 

 buyer's murkct. Wc have to-day the most favorable opportunity 

 to get l)ar}iains in forest lanil that we have ever had. 



The National Forest Reservation Commission up to the present 

 time has approved 23 purchase units. If the committee is interested 

 in knowing' just where they are, it can see them on this map. The 

 j)urchase units in dark green are the ones which have been approved 

 i)V the commission and on which active purchases are in progress. 

 Tlie hatching; on each little diagram shows the extent to which the 

 ownership of that area has been accpiired by the Government. The 

 units indicated in light green have been examined or are under 

 consideration, but none of them have yet been approved by the 

 commission as purchase areas. Before purchases in any locality are 

 begun, the commission must approve a specific purchase unit therein. 

 Tlu> apj)roval of the Geological Survey as to the beneficial relation 

 of the forest cover in that region to the fiow of navigable streams is 

 also n'(iuired. 



Mr. Blcha.nan. Are these all mountain lands? 



Colonel Grkkley. These are all jnountain lands. This purchase 

 unit covers the White Mountains in New Hampshire. This piuchase 

 unit [indicating] is on the Allegheny watershed, one of the units in 

 which the i)eople of Pittsburgh and Cincinnati are very much inter- 

 ested on account of flood control. These purchases [indicating] run 

 down the crests of the southern Appalachian ranges. 



TIMBER GROWTH. 



Mr. IkicHANAX. Do these lands have any young timber growth 

 on tiiem ? 



Colonel (iuKKLEY. They have a great deal of timber growth, both 

 voung and old. As a matter of fact, w^ith our two million one hun- 

 dred and forty-odd thousand acres of land we have acquired about 

 '),()()(), OOO.OOO feet of timber. Some of it is inaccessible and some 

 of it is land from which the i)etter species have been culled. We 

 have, however, a good deal of timber of high commercial value. 

 As a matter of fact, we are now obtaining from these national forests 

 a yearly income of between SDO.OIH) and $100,000 from timber 

 sales, contiiuiing again the same policy of cautious cutting and keep- 

 ing within ihr growing capacity of the forests. 



VAhUK OK TIMHKIi LAND BOUGHT. 



Mr. lU'ciiANAN. What percentage of the S')0,000 or S100,000 does 

 it take to get the timber out and pay the overhead charges? Is the 

 work self-supporting >. 



('Olonel (iKKKi.KV. Those forests are now about self-sustaining; that 

 is, aMtocinrent costs for j>rotecti<Mi and administration. Of couinc, to 

 date Wc have been cautious i;i making s des in these area-^. We !U*e 

 Nsatching the watershed situation very closely and W(> make no sales 

 at all until they have been thoroughly considered. The Ciovernnicnt 

 now ha.s a very valuable tind)er property in those forests and it has 

 increiiscMJ a good deal in value since the land was bouglit. In fact, 

 tiur e.xperience in this j)urchas(' work eniphasi/.(>s a rejuark made by 



