260 



FORESTRY 



year's growth of all the trees in the United States. At this rate it is 

 only a question of a short time when all the forests in our country 

 will be destroyed, unless measures are taken to protect and increase 

 our supply of trees and public forests. 



National Forests. Realizing the danger threatened to our 

 country from destruction of forests, Congress, in 1891, authorized 

 the President to establish forest reserves, or national forests, and 

 President Harrison created the Yellowstone Forest Reserve that 

 same year. We have about one hundred and fifty-four national 



Distribution of forests. 



forests, containing approximately one hundred and fifty million 

 acres of land. Of this amount there are about one hundred and 

 forty-five million acres in the United States proper and about 

 five million acres more in Alaska and Porto Rico. At the start 

 there was a great deal of opposition to the establishment of the 

 national forests, because it was claimed that the establishment of 

 a forest at once locked up all the resources of the region, checked 

 industry, prohibited settlements, and made future growth im- 

 possible; but precautions are being taken to avoid all of these ob- 

 jections. All agricultural lands are excluded from the boundaries 

 and are left open to settlement. Prospecting and mining are 

 absolutely unchecked. A certain portion of the timber may be 

 cut and sold each year under the direction of the local officers, the 



