THE FORESTER. 



February, 



ing purposes and neglecting to extinguish 

 them. Subsequently a wind arises, wafts 

 the smouldering embers into a blazing and 

 devastating fire, and a loss occurs that 

 cannot be repaired except after a long term 

 of years. When funds have been needed 

 for a more thorough patrolling, for the 

 prosecution of sheep herders and other 

 trespassers, and for other like purposes, 

 the government inspector has found himself 

 powerless to act for want of funds. 



Numerous provisions and regulations are 

 necessary in the proper maintenance of 

 reserves, and the subject has been treated 

 upon on different occasions, but from the 

 standpoint of the miner, little has been 

 done. It is true, certain regulations have 

 been passed permitting the miners to enter 

 upon these reserves, prospect for, and lo- 

 cate minerals; but nothing has been done 

 to encourage mining upon them. The 

 construction of mountain trails would open 

 up a large territory to the tourist and 

 health seeker, in the heart of our grand 

 mountain and forest scenery, in parts 

 now known only to the venturesome hun- 

 ter and hardy prospector, who have here- 

 tofore been the pioneers in this work. 



The opening up of new territory to the 

 efforts of the miner and the prospector is 

 the most desirable end to be accomplished. 

 The efforts of the forest rangers would be 

 best aided in protecting such reserves from 

 destruction by fire by the extensive con- 

 struction of trails through the mountains 

 to enable them to get to the scene of labor, 

 and facilitate the work of bringing in their 

 supplies. 



To further protect the forest, the en- 

 trance to such trails could be guarded by 

 the forest ranger stationed there, whose 

 duty it would be to grant a permit to all 

 parties entering the reserve for prospect- 

 ing, mining, hunting or health, as the case 

 might be. By making it compulsory on 

 all entering the reserve to obtain first a 

 permit from the forest ranger, and mak- 

 ing all persons found without it liable to 

 prosecution and fine, a check would be 

 kept, so that the origin of the forest fire 

 could be traced to its beginning when the 

 forest ranger knows the parties who were 

 camped in that part of the reserve. 



Some suggestions are conveyed by the 

 following editorial published in the Min- 

 ing and ^Metallurgical Journal : 



" The natural subdivision of the land of 

 any civilized country is best classified under 

 the headings of agricultural, timber and 

 mining rights. Until very recent years 

 the government of the United States has 

 left the care of the timber and mining re- 

 sources to the destructive and improvident 

 trust of individual ownership. The re- 

 sult is that on account of the perishable 

 nature of the timber supply and its slow 

 rate of reproduction the required amount 

 has rapidly vanished and in many sections 

 is gone altogether. The effect of this has 

 been felt on the climate of the country in 

 diminishing the rainfall and making the 

 amount of it that did come find its way to 

 the rivers and streams in a shorter space 

 of time. In consequence, the moisture 

 which falls has not been as well retained 

 in the soil and rocks, and has rendered 

 some sections, such as the southwestern 

 States, more arid than formerly. 



"For these reasons the timber area of 

 the country has an important bearing on 

 the development of the mining resources 

 of any district. There are large sections 

 of the Southwest which at one time were 

 covered with timber which was destroved 



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by cattlemen and sheepmen and at times 

 by the miners, as the Government took no 

 interest in forestry in those days. This 

 destruction took place both in the moun- 

 tains and what is now called the desert. 

 Forest reserves have been fortunately set 

 apart on the mountain sections, but that 

 act does not no\v prohibit prospecting or 

 mining within the limits of such reserves. 

 "The restoration or reforestization of 

 the burned forest areas in mountain and 

 desert sections has an important bearing 

 on the water supply and aids mining in 

 such sections. In the desert country there 



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have been valuable groves of mesquite 

 timber which have been destroyed as above 

 stated, and efforts should be made by each 

 county to reforest or replant such places. 

 The mesquite timber has several varieties 

 and grows on the desert in Arizona and 

 California from the sea level along the 

 valleys of the Colorado, Salt and Gila 



