NATIONAL FOREST WORK 



Grazing and Fires in National Forests. 



In reply to a letter signed Helena, Mon- 

 tana, published in the New York Evening 

 Post of the 25th of May, and full of the usual 

 inaccuracies and threadbare misstatements 

 made so familiar to us through the oratory 

 of Senator Heyburn, Mr. Graves, the For- 

 ester, made the following reply, which was 

 published Monday, the 12th of June, 1911. 



To the Editor of the Evening Post: 



Sir: A letter under the heading "The 

 Cause of Forest Fires," has just come to 

 my attention. Since it was written by a 

 man who speaks as one familiar with west- 

 ern conditions and without bias of personal 

 interest, I fear that readers who are not 

 informed concerning national forest mat- 

 ters may be led to form wrong conclusions. 

 The natural inference from the letter would 

 oe that under the present system of na- 

 tional forest administration the annual 

 growth of grass is not utilized, but is al- 

 lowed to accumulate year after year until 

 its presence, dry and inflammable, becomes 

 the real cause of forest fires. 



The letter asks "Why did not these ter- 

 rible fires occur before the government's 

 preservation system was introduced?" As 

 a matter of fact, they did. The forests 

 themselves furnish conclusive proof, in 

 enormous old burns, that fires quite as 

 terrible as any of recent years were com- 

 mon before the national forests were cre- 

 ated. The answer of your correspondent 

 to his own question is, "Because the grass 

 was mostly eaten and not stored up year 

 after year to be used as kindling by some 

 stray spark or burning match," and he 

 speaks of the "persistence" of the govern- 

 ment "in storing inconceivably large quan- 

 tities of dry grass in close proximity to 

 "imber." But under national forest ad- 

 ministration the annual forage crop is not 

 stored. Last year permits were issued for 

 The grazing of nearly one and one-half mil- 

 lion cattle and horses and over seven and 

 one-half million sheep on the national 

 forests. 



The Forest Service not only allows graz- 

 ing, up to the limit set by the necessity 

 of protecting the range itself, the young 

 forest growth, and the flow of streams 

 against the evils of overgrazing; it also 

 beeks to develop the use by stockmen of 

 range which is now unused because of 

 inaccessibility. It recognizes the value of 



regulated grazing as a means of fire pro- 

 tection. Instead of closing the forests 

 against stock, as your correspondent's let- 

 ter would lead one to believe, the Forest 

 Service has steadily and energetically 

 sought to discover methods by which the 

 amount of forage annually produced may 

 be increased, making possible a correspond- 

 ing increase in the number of stock on 

 the forests. On understocked ranges every 

 effort has been made to increase the num- 

 ber of stock. To open up new ranges roads 

 and trails have been built and favorable 

 freight rates have been sought from rail- 

 roads. Studies have been made and ex- 

 periments conducted to learn how the 

 waste of forage due to trampling may be 

 reduced. Reseeding investigations have 

 been made. In short, every effort has been 

 put forth to bring about the fullest use 

 of the range resource consistent with the 

 preservation of this and the forest and 

 water resources. 



Opposition to regulated grazing is due 

 as a rule not to restrictions upon the 

 amount of stock allowed, but to the fact 

 that those who use the national forest 

 ranges are not allowed free use, but must 

 pay a moderate charge for the privilege: 

 and to the further fact that as demand for 

 use of the range increases the number of 

 stock which any one man may graze is 

 cut down. The grazing charge is fixed at 

 ;^ rate decidedly below the value of the 

 privilege. As new men enter the business, 

 room is made for them. This is done in 

 trder to encourage the settlement and de- 

 velopment of the country. Those whose 

 allotments are reduced are, naturally, loath 

 to give way to the newcomers. 



Henry S. Gra\->:s, 



.,, T-. X T^ r^ T f> Forester. 



Washington, D. C, June 9. 



"Care With Fire" Rules 



According to a press report of the 5th 

 of June, the California fire season has al- 

 ready begun. Two fires, due to incendi- 

 arism, in Siskiyou County and in Tulare 

 County have been reported. The protection 

 force, w-hich has been greatly increased, 

 has controlled them both and found the 

 person who was responsible for the fire in 

 each case. Incendiarism is usually due to 

 inflammatory oratory in Washington, but 

 for the simple camper or traveller without 

 wicked intent, the District Forester at 



435 



