186 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



Since the fire season of 1919 is not yet closed, final statistics regard- 

 ing this year's fires can not of course be given. Preliminar}^ esti- 

 mates indicate an area burned over up to September 30 of approx- 

 imately 1,500,000 acres, while the fire fightmg expenditures from 

 July 1 to September 30 were close to $3,000,000. 



MANAGEMENT. 



Timber. 



There was a decrease of 3 per cent in the cut of National Forest 

 timber under sales, and of 0.5 per cent in the receipts from sales. 

 In a period when the lumber cut of the United States as a whole 

 dropped off 11 per cent, this sustained use of National Forest tim.ber 

 indicates the stable source of supply which has been established in 

 the National Forests for the local lumber industry and for the general 

 timber requirements of the country. New sales of timber decreased 

 45 per cent. This decrease is attributable to the war production 

 conditions existing during the first part of the year and to the high 

 cost of steel rails, machinery, and other materials, which has dis- 

 couraged the development of new lumbering enterprises in the 

 National Forests. 



Since April, 1919, the lumber market has been characterized by 

 advances m prices exceeding in rapidity anything previously known 

 in the history of the industry. This condition appears to be due to the 

 sudden and wide-spread resumption of building activity and to the 

 shortage of existing lumber stocks. The production of lumber is 

 responding but slowly to this demand on account of the shortage 

 of labor and the high cost of supplies. The advance in lumber has, 

 however, been reflected during the last three months in a sharpened 

 demand for National Forest stumpage, which bids fair to increase 

 materially the rate of cutting. Such increases will be progressive 

 and somewhat slow, because a certain lengfch of time is required for 

 the appraisal and advertisement of large tracts and time is needed 

 also for new installations under present conditions. 



One of the more important developments in forest management 

 which must be pushed with vigor is to determine within closer limits 

 than has yet been possible the quantities of timber which may be cut 

 from forest units on a basis of permanent production. The demand 

 for National Forest timber in some localities has about reached the 

 growing capacity of the areas forming the logical source of supply. 

 It is of the utmost importance that the industrial developments sup- 

 ported by National Forest stumpage be permanent and that no 

 pressure for the immediate use of timber be peraiitted to exhaust 

 such National Forest areas within a few years, leaving a wake of 

 sawdust piles and deserted lumber camps. The general principles 

 upon which this development of National Forest management lias 

 been undertaken are: (1) To define areas, on the basis of topographic 

 features or of industrial and economic factors, from which a steady 

 yield of timber should be obtamed; and (2) to determine the safe 

 limit of yearly sales from each area in order that the yield may be 

 continuous. Securing permanent and desirable conditions for labor 

 in forest industries is an important phase of this development. 



A second important extension in the effective use of National 

 Forest timber is to obtain exact data upon their resources for making 



