NATIONAL FOREST RESOURCES 175 



arising from the presence of patented lands or valid 

 claims; to determine if cutting is advisable on a 

 given area, and, if so, under what stipulations ; and 

 to fix the minimum price at which stumpage is to 

 be sold. The annual yield, or the amount of timber 

 grown or produced annually upon an area, must be 

 the ultimate basis of the annual cut, and this yield 

 can only be computed after an inventory of the 

 timber has been made. 



Timber reconnoissance (valuation survey or val- 

 uation strips) involves an estimate of the standing 

 timber by small legal or natural subdivisions of 

 land, with the necessary land surveys, the prep- 

 aration of an accurate topographic and forest type 

 map, and the compilation of detailed descriptive 

 notes. These notes deal with the condition and 

 character of the timber, the most practical methods 

 of exploitation, the extent and character of the 

 young growth, and many other factors which affect 

 the management of timber lands. These data are 

 secured at a cost of from 3 to 10 cents per acre, de- 

 pending upon the accessibility and the topography 

 of the region and the density of the timber. This 

 work is carried on both in the summer and in the 



