BONDING NATIONAL FORESTS 



63 



undertake this work. The Government 

 should help and I believe that it is en- 

 tirely practicable for the Government 

 to give help under the proposed plan. 



Another urgent case is in Trinity 

 County, California, where the National 

 Forest covers 58 per cent of the county. 

 This forest has a stand of over 13 

 billion feet of timber, which ultimately 

 will bring in gross receipts of consider- 

 ably over $100,000 a year, but which at 

 the present time returns to the county 

 only a little over $2,000. There are 

 only about 3,500 people in the county. 

 Its county seat is 50 miles from the 

 closest railroad by mountain wagon 

 road, and many of the people of the 

 county have to pack their supplies over 

 mountain trails because there are no 

 roads at all. An advance by Congress 

 on the basis of later returns which 

 certainly can be secured from timber 

 which is owned by the Government, 

 but which cannot be marketed at the 

 present time, would open the way to 

 developing this section of California. 

 Other illustrations could be given in 

 the Coast States and in some of the in- 

 terior States where there is heavy 

 timber but so located that it cannot 

 immediately be developed on account 

 of its inaccessibility and lack of market. 

 Such are the projects which should be 

 taken up first. 



Probably the suggestion of the fore- 

 going plan will bring up many questions 

 regarding the detailed operation of it 

 in practice. For example, the question 

 of maintenance of the roads would 

 arise, whether the counties or the Gov- 

 ernment should assume this burden. 

 Again, the extent of cooperation on 

 roads in which the counties and the 

 Government, and perhaps also the 

 States, would participate would con- 

 stitute a problem here and there. In 

 planning a given project these questions 



should be considered and a solution in 

 each case be worked out before asking 

 for the advance from Congress. I have 

 no doubt of the earnest cooperation of 

 the communities, if I may judge by the 

 way they are working with the Forest 

 Service in such road building as is now 

 being carried on in the forests. 



RESULTS OF THE PLAN 



The proposed plan would make the 

 public benefits of the National Forests 

 immediately realizable; it would accom- 

 plish development not possible for the 

 communities without public aid and 

 would stimulate agriculture and other 

 industries and result in the building up 

 of many permanent homes and bring 

 into use great quantities of land now 

 lying idle; it would relieve the now 

 struggling communities from a burden 

 of taxation which otherwise they would 

 have to assume if the development of 

 many of the National Forest communi- 

 ties is to go forward as rapidly as it 

 should; it would hasten the develop- 

 ment of the National Forest resources 

 themselves which are now in many 

 cases unavailable because of lack of 

 transportation; where roads are built 

 in the Forests there would be an added 

 security because of their direct use in 

 forest fire prevention; the plan would 

 work to the benefit of the small man in 

 every way; and finally, there would be 

 a clearer appreciation on the part of 

 local communities of the important 

 public benefits of the National Forests, 

 and in consequence of the present real- 

 ization of the purposes of the National 

 government in this enterprise, there 

 would be a closer cooperation between 

 the people and the public agencies with 

 the result of a more effective protection 

 and administration of this property 

 than otherwise would be possible. 



Russia's Embargo on Lumber 



The Russian government has placed an embargo on all kinds of lumber, to prevent its ex- 

 portation; walnut lumber, including Circassian walnut, much prized by American furniture makers, 

 is specifically mentioned. 



