NATIONAL FORESTS USED 



SELLING some billion and a half 

 board feet of timber and super- 

 vising the cutting on several 

 thousand different areas, over- 

 seeing the grazing of more than 1,500,- 

 000 cattle and 7,500,000 sheep, and 

 building more than 600 miles of road, 

 2,000 miles of trail, 3,000 miles of 

 telephone line, and 700 miles of fire line 

 are some of the things which the 

 Forest Service did last year, as dis- 

 closed in the report by Chief Forester 

 Graves, for 1914. These activities were 

 on the National Forests, which at pres- 

 ent total about 185,000,000 acres. 



There is need, says Chief Forester 

 Graves, to increase the cut of timber 

 from the National Forests wherever a 

 fair price can be obtained for the 

 stumpage, because a great deal of it is 

 mature and ought to be taken out to 

 make room for young growth. Un- 

 favorable conditions in the lumber trade 

 caused new sales of National Forest 

 timber to fall off somewhat during the 

 past year, though the operations on 

 outstanding sales contracts brought the 

 total cut above that of the previous 

 year by 130,000,000 board feet. There 

 was, however, a big increase in small 

 timber sales, these numbering 8,298 in 

 1914 against 6,182 the previous year. 

 Desirable blocks of National Forest 

 timber have been appraised and put on 

 the market, and it is expected that these 

 will find purchasers when conditions in 

 the lumber industry improve. All told, 

 the Government received $1,304,053.66 

 from the sale of timber on the forests in 

 1914. The receipts from all sources 

 totaled $2,437,710.21. 



After eight years of experience stock- 

 men are well satisfied, says the Chief 

 Forester, with the way the grazing of 

 livestock on the forests is regulated, 

 and have even urged upon Congress the 

 application of the same method of 

 control to the unreserved public range. 

 Almost 29,000 permittees graze stock 

 on the National Forests, and these paid 

 to the Government in the fiscal year 

 1914 fees amounting to over a million 

 dollars. The present tendency to raise 



586 



fewer sheep and goats and more cattle 

 and horses is shown in the fact that the 

 number of cattle and horse permittees 

 on the western forests increased last 

 year by 1,579, while the number of 

 sheep and goat permittees fell off by a 

 total of 268. The western stock busi- 

 ness, the forester points out, is becoming 

 attached to the soil, and the itinerant 

 sheep grower and the speculator in 

 cattle are giving place to the permanent 

 resident and owner of improved ranch 

 property. The latter is always given 

 preference in the use of National Forest 



range. 



Some $400,000 was spent by the 

 Forest Service during the year for per- 

 manent improvements on the National 

 Forests to make them accessible and to 

 insure their protection from fire. These 

 improvements include 270 miles of new 

 road, 2,153 miles of trail, 3,063 miles of 

 telephone line, 775 miles of fire line, 

 and 106 lookout structures, besides 

 bridges, corrals, fences, and cabins. In 

 addition, 642 miles of road were built 

 for the public by the use of 10 per cent 

 of the National Forest receipts, as 

 authorized by Congress. 



Under another law, 25 per cent of the 

 National Forest receipts for the year, 

 amounting to $586,593.39, were paid 

 over to the various States in which the 

 forests lie for the benefit of county 

 schools and roads. 



Since 1909, when systematic classifica- 

 tion of National Forest lands was begun, 

 more than 10,000,000 acres have been 

 eliminated. Scattered interior tracts 

 which it is not practical to eliminate are 

 opened to settlement through listing, 

 which allows them to be taken up under 

 the Forest Homestead Law. Anyone 

 may apply to have land within a forest 

 examined to determine whether it is 

 best suited for agriculture, and if found 

 so it is opened to settlement under this 

 law. During the year 2,690 tracts, 

 totaling 282,483 acres, applied for by 

 individuals, were opened for entry. By 

 elimination and listing the percentage 

 of unpatented agricultural land within 

 the National Forests, never large, has 

 been reduced to a very small amount. 



