OUR NATIONAL TIMBERLANDS THREATENED 



BY HERMAN H. CHAPMAN 



nEGISLATION pending in the hands the timber passed en route to its 

 present Congress, and which may ultimate ownership. 

 be consummated at any day, The opposition of the friends of true 

 threatens to take from the National conservation secured a change in the 

 Forests of the West, millions of acres wording of this amendment, while it 

 of the most valuable timberland remain- was in the hands of the Conference 

 ing in government control, and turn it Committee, and it now reads that all 

 over to the large lumber companies lands that are "chiefly valuable for agri- 

 through the agency of the homestead cultural purposes and that are not 

 laws. needed for public purposes, or for use 



In the agricultural appropriation by the public," must be listed imme- 

 act, which is now in final conference, diately. This would prevent the listing 

 the clause was introduced by Senator of timbered land, and would prevent ap- 

 Nelson, providing that all lands "suit- plications for water-power sites and for 

 able and fit" for agriculture must be government ranger stations, which, un- 

 classified and listed for settlement at der the original clause, could have been 

 once under the homestead laws. This demanded as agricultural lands. The 

 clause is intended by its author to apply adoption of this modified amendment 

 to heavy bodies of timber. Under its has met with bitter opposition on the 

 operation all timber on the National floor of the Senate and the advocates 

 Forest, which is growing on land for of the original timber grabbing amend- 

 which any claim of agricultural value ment threatened to filibuster against the 

 can be made must be listed, not when bill and prevent the passage of the ap- 

 there is need of it for farming, but propriations for the Forest Service un- 

 now, and by this listing be removed at less they are permitted to have their 

 once from the jurisdiction of Forest way. 



Service. Not a single safeguard is When these forests were created they 

 thrown around the operation of such a were supposed to include lands more 

 clause, and it would become necessary valuable for their timber or for the pro- 

 to list all lands of doubtful agricultural tection of water sheds than for agri- 

 value, which might be claimed or de- culture, and to exclude lands chiefly 

 sired for their timber under the guise valuable for agriculture. It was impos- 

 of agricultural use. Claims are made sible to avoid including some lands 

 that even steep mountain slopes are suit- within the original boundaries, which 

 able for fruits and orchards and this were agricultural in character, but as 

 would mean the immediate elimination fast as the work could be done close 

 of timber-covered slopes, because some examinations were made of all forests 

 of this land might some day be used for and the boundaries were readjusted to 

 such purposes, and it is, therefore, all exclude all large bodies of lands, not 

 suitable and fit for agriculture. heavily covered with valuable timber, 



There is hardly an acre of good tim- which could be used for agriculture! 



ber land in the West to which claim This work has been completed for over 



would not be made under this proposed a year, but to supplement this classifica- 



law, and if pushed to its logical con- tion and make sure that there remain 



elusion the nation would be stripped of no land genuinely desired and suitable 



its remaining timber resources for the for farming, a law was passed June 11 



ultimate enrichment of the large him- 190G, permitting persons to apply 



ber men, and an incidental and tempo- for any lands within the National For- 



rary benefit to those through whose ests for homesteads. If, on examina- 



527 



