CONSERVATION OF LIFE IN THE LUMBER CAMPS 



55 



life and in protecting the bread-winners, its share in this cooperation for the con- 



upon whom depend the life and happi- servation of the life of the lumber-jacks 



ness of so large a population." in the logging camps throughout 



The American Red Cross offers to do country. 



* An address at the Fifth National Conservation Congress. 



THE GOVERNMENT FORESTS 



The Annual Report of Chief Forester Graves Shows that the Past Year Resulted 

 in the Greatest Progress in the National Forests. 



MORE than two billion board 

 feet of timber, with a value 

 of four and one-half mil- 

 lion dollars on the stump, 

 was sold by the Forest Service last 

 year, according to the annual report 

 of Henry S. Graves, forester. This is 

 an increase of 167 per cent over the 

 sales of the preceding year. The tim- 

 ber sold was largely for future cutting 

 under contracts that will run for a num- 

 ber of years. The actual cut was a little 

 less than 500 million board feet, an in- 

 crease of 15 per cent over 1912. Still 

 larger sales are in prospect. 



TIMBER SALE METHODS AND PROBLEMS. 



The timber-sale policy of the Forest 

 Service is summarized as aiming first 

 of all to prevent losses by fire, and sec- 

 ondly to utilize the ripe timber which 

 can be marketed. Other aims are : to 

 cut so as to insure restocking and for- 

 est permanence ; to get the full market 

 value for the timber sold ; to prevent 

 speculative acquisition and private mo- 

 nopoly of public timber and to maintain 

 competitive conditions in the lumber in- 

 dustry so far as possible ; to provide 

 first for the needs of local communities 

 and industries ; to open lands of agricul- 

 tural value to settlement without allow- 

 ing them to be tied up by timber specu- 

 lators ; and finally, to secure as soon as 

 possible the cost of production and ad- 

 ministration to the Government and a 

 revenue to the national forest States, to 

 which go 25 per cent of all receipts. 



A large number of national forests 

 already more than pay operating ex- 

 penses. The revenue from the Alaskan 

 forests now exceeds the cost of admin- 

 istration. The same is true generally 

 in the southwest. 



RANGE MANAGEMENT AND 



The forage resources of the national 

 forests are pointed out as contril.uting 

 to the maintenance of over 20 million 

 head of livestock, which supply in part 

 at least the demands for meat, "hides, or 

 wool of every State in the union. The 

 receipts from grazing, during 1913, 

 though second to those from timber, 

 were more than a million dollars, and 

 showed an increase over the previous 

 year in spite of the fact that the sea- 

 son was less favorable and, the area re- 

 duced. Over 4 per cent more stock was 

 grazed as the result of increased for- 

 age production and improvements in 

 handling stock, especially sheep. 



The system of range management 

 employed by the forest service is hdd 

 to offer hope of relief to the average 

 citizen concerned over the dwindling 

 supply of meat products and their 

 alarming rise in cost. The national for- 

 ests furnish abundant forage supplies, 

 opportunity for the adoption of the best 

 methods, freedom from livestock dis- 

 eases, and protection in the enjoyment 

 of all rights and privileges. Cattle from 

 the Hayden national forest in Colorado 

 took the grand championship prize at 

 the National Live Stock Show in Den- 

 ver, and in many cases the lambs from 

 the forests topped the market. Losses 

 from predatory animals are growing 

 less as the wolves, bears, and other ani- 

 mals are killed off by forest officers. 



GAME PROTECTION. 



In connection with the grazing work. 

 the forests serve to protect game: and 

 the Wichita forest, with its buffalo 

 herd, is one of the show places of Okla- 

 homa. During the year the service co- 



