American Forest Congress 371 



The subject of fires, both ancient and recent, with 

 their effects upon the present forest, has been carefully 

 studied, and the accounts of large fires in times past 

 have been recorded. A study has been made of the 

 streams as means of transporting lumber, and the lay 

 of the country has been considered with a view to the 

 building of roads and railroads for lumbering pur- 

 poses. The question of existing and future markets 

 for the forest products has also been studied. The 

 effects of grazing, especially the grazing of sheep, upon 

 the present forests, and their reproduction, have been 

 carefully investigated. The purpose of these exam- 

 inations has been to ascertain the economic value of 

 the lands and the forests. 



Reports on the areas examined have been prepared 

 and published, the earlier ones in volumes of the 

 annual reports of the Survey and the later ones as 

 professional papers. These reports are illustrated by 

 maps showing the classification of the lands and the 

 stand of timber per acre upon the forested lands. For 

 this purpose the atlas sheets of the Survey are used, if 

 completed. The reports are also illustrated by dia- 

 grams showing the stand of timber per township and 

 the proportional distribution of the species represented. 

 The map and the diagram together tell a large part of 

 the story of the reserve. 



During the last eight years there has been examined 

 a total of about 75,000,000 acres, or 117,000 square 

 miles. This area includes nearly all the reserves in 

 the country, besides great extents of land adjoining 

 them, and other regions which have been withheld 

 from settlement with the expectation of reserving 

 them. 



Among these regions one was examined jointly with 

 the Bureau of Forestry of the Department of Agricul- 



