76 THE NATIONAL FOREST MANUAL. 



be to educate the people in the use of wood preservatives and to promote eco- 

 nomical utilization. Recommendations for the establishment of such plants 

 should be made to the District Forester by the supervisor. 



In general, the district office, as well as the Madison Laboratory and other 

 stations, will, so far as possible, give assistance and information to individuals 

 or organizations in developing and carrying out systematically the practical 

 utilization of all Forest products. 



IMPROVEMENTS. 

 POLICY. 



It is but natural, from their situation, that the National Forests represent 

 pioneer conditions. For a long time it will be necessary to expend time and 

 money on the construction of improvements which will afford security against 

 fire and make the resources of the Forests fully available. Not only will the 

 fund specifically appropriated be used, but, so far as may be permitted under 

 the terms of the appropriations for general expenses, such work will be carried 

 on in connection with general administration. In all cases the classes of im- 

 provement work which afford security against fire will be given preference over 

 those classes which help to make the Forest resources a vailable. Proper pro- 

 tection and the fullest use of the Forest resources depend mainly upon facilities 

 for transportation, communication, and control. All parts of the Forests should 

 be accessible by roads and trails : there should be telephone communication be- 

 tween settlements and Forest officers' headquarters and with lookout stations: 

 and in most cases suitable living accommodations must be provided for the field 

 force. For the fullest use of the forage resources water for live stock may 

 have to be developed and range fences constructed: to reduce the hazard and 

 the cost and difficulty of controlling forest fires, firebreaks and other works 

 must be constructed. 



The construction and maintenance of improvements require the most rigid 

 economy consistent with the fulfillment of their purposes, particularly since 

 they afford greater opportunity for inefficiency and extravagance than any 

 other line of work. Because of these facts all plans for improvements demand 

 the most careful consideration both as to preparation and execution. The For- 

 est Plans section of the Manual provides that the improvement plan shall be 

 shown on a map or maps supplemented by reports which cover the need, char- 

 acter, and cost of the projects. 



TRANSPORTATION. 



Adequate facilities for travel and transportation are of first importance. 

 Trails and roads may be constructed by the Forest Service, but steam or elec- 

 tric roads and boat lines operated by private interests are to be utilized as a 

 part of the transportation system, available for use by Forest officers. 



Transportation Plans. 



The need for extension of transportation routes on each Forest should be 

 determined by the District Forester from information prepared by the super- 

 Visor. This information will show for each ranger district the number of 

 miles of roads and trails or other means of travel for each township, the total 

 Value of the Forest property, the rentnl value, the fire liability, and the annual 

 cash and unrealized revenues. If it is desired to show a percentage of -accessi- 

 bility, twelve (12) miles of road or trail to each township should be taken as 

 the standard. Territory which can be readily traveled by saddle horses and 

 by boat is to be classed as provided with standard means of transportation. 

 Such territory should be appropriately designated on the improvement map. 



Map. 



Plans for extending the transportation system will be shown on a map on 

 Which the existing routes are also shown. It should be supplemented by esti- 

 mates of cost of the projected improvements, the estimates to be in sufficient 

 detail to indicate the character of the construction. Methods for the location 

 and survey of roads and trails are given in the Instructions for Making Forest 

 Surveys and Maps. 



Roads and Trails. 



All roads and such trails as will eventually be widened into roads should, 

 when it is feasible, be surveyed by a competent engineer. The ultimate neces- 



