FOREST POLICY ASSURES GREATEST TIMBER GROWTH 



ON the policy of sixteen years standing, National For- 

 ests of the United States at the present time are ad- 

 ministered by the Department of Agriculture in such a 

 way as to promote the greatest possible utilization for all 

 purposes and at the same time the greatest possible 

 growth of timber, the Secretary of Agriculture states in 

 his annual report to the President. The administration of 

 the forests under the policy developed by the department, 

 the Secretary states, includes provisions for the follow- 

 ing: 



Protection from fire. 



Regulation of cutting, tree planting and forest man- 

 agement to secure the maximum growth of timber. 



Full utilization of forage resources for live-stock 

 raising. 



Classification of the forest lands and the elimination 

 of areas most suitable for farming. 



The use of the lands for a wide range of purposes, in- 

 cluding industrial developments and recreation. 



The fullest possible development of water powers. 



The readjustment of boundaries to include forest lands 

 and to exclude other lands. 



In the administration of this policy, the Secretary 

 staties, the well-being of local communities, largely agri- 

 cultural, is a primary consideration. The policy also con- 

 templates, in the language of the Secretary : 



"The extension of the National Forests through the 

 purchase of lands which will protect the watersheds of 

 navigable streams. The National Forests established 

 by Executive order or by legislation now cover the head- 

 waters of nearly all the important streams beyond the 

 Mississippi and protect enormous investments in irriga- 

 tion works, irrigable farms, and hydro-electric develop- 

 ment. They are now slowly being extended by purchases 

 over the watersheds of navigable streams in the eastern 

 States and should be extended still further as rapidly as 

 possible. 



"This policy represents today the most striking appli- 

 cation of public foresight to land problems in the history 

 of the United States. 



"Scientific research with a view to 



"Ascertaining and demonstrating through the activi- 

 ties of forest experiment stations the cheapest and most 

 effective methods of growing the maximum timber crops 

 of the best -species. 



'Products investigations centered mainly at the Forest 

 Products Laboratory at Madison, Wisconsin, to ascertain 

 and demonsitrate means of preventing waste and the most 

 effective means for the manufacture and utilization of 

 our forest resources. These investigations are designed 

 to extend the life of our present resources, reduce to a 

 minimum the production necessary to meet future re- 

 quirements, and indirectly to make the growing of tim- 

 ber more profitable. 



"Investigations of timber resources, the extent of for- 

 est lands, and other economic questions, such as timber 

 taxation, in order to secure data which must underlie 

 the development and application of a National Forest 

 policy. 



"Dissemination of information and cooperation with 

 States, timberland owners, and farmers in the protection 

 and management of public and privately owned forests 

 and farm woodlots. These activities include 



"Fire protection through cooperation between the Fed- 

 eral Government, the State governments and private 

 owners. 



"Cooperation with the management of privately owned 

 timberlands to check their devastation and assure the 

 continued use for timber growing of lands not better 

 suited for other purposes. 



"The dissemination of information which will make 

 possible greater and better production on the 200,000,000 

 acres of farm woodlots owned by the individual farmers 

 of the Nation. Woodlot products now rank in value as 

 one of the first three or four principal farm crops of the 

 country. The yield of these farm woodlots can be im- 

 mensely increased by better methods. 



"Publicly owned forests with the greatest additions 

 which can be anticipated can not alone meet our require- 

 ments for wood. The department is therefore attempt- 

 ing by all means at its disposal to secure the adoption 

 of a national policy for the production of timber on the 

 privately owned lands most suitable for this purpose." 



An administrative force remarkable for its efficiency 

 has been built up and trained in this work, the Secretary 

 says. He continues : 



"Methods of cutting timber have been developed under 

 which the forest reproduces naturally, and these require- 

 ments have been so harmonized with practical limitations 

 of lumbering that the demand f of National Forest timber 

 has grown steadily. The condition of the National Forest 

 ranges has been very greatly improved and at the same 

 time the stock which they can support without damage 

 has been increased by approximately one-third. A sys- 

 tem of fire protection has been established which has 

 and is serving as a model to State and private agencies 

 alike. In general, all National Forest resources have been 

 brought into use. Western public sentiment, at first de- 

 cidedly hostile, now almost universally supports the pres- 

 ent form of administration, and western stockmen have 

 even gone so far in many instances as to demand the ex- 

 tension of the National Forest system of range manage- 

 ment to the remaining public grazing lands ; in short, 

 the National Forests are now vindicated by their fruits. 



"Some 2,000,000 acres of fr>-est lands have been pur- 

 chased at the headwaters of navigable streams in the 

 East, and these have been placed under an administration 



