THE USE BOOK. 



HISTORY AND OBJECTS OF FOREST RESERVES. 



Forest reserves are for the purpose of preserving a 

 perpetual supply of timber for home industries, pre- 

 venting destruction of the forest cover which regulates 

 the flow of streams, and protecting local residents from 

 unfair competition in the use of forest and range. 

 The} 7 are patrolled and protected at Government ex- 

 pense for the benefit of the community and the home 

 builder. 



We know that the welfare of every community is 

 dependent upon a cheap and plentiful supply of timber; 

 that a forest cover is the most effective means of main- 

 taining a regular stream flow for irrigation and other 

 useful purposes, and that the permanence of the live- 

 stock industry depends upon the conservative use of 

 the range. The injury to all persons and industries 

 which results from the destruction of forests by fire 

 and careless use is a matter of history in older coun- 

 tries, and has long been the cause of anxiety and loss 

 in the United States. The protection of the forest re- 

 sources still existing is a matter of urgent local and 

 national importance. This is shown by the exhaustion 

 of lumbering centers, often leaving behind desolation 

 and depression in business; the vast public and private 

 losses through unnecessary forest fires; the increasing 



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