"28 DEPABTMBNTAL REPOKTS. 



For every timber sale the actual value of the timber has been 

 ^ietermined through study of the timber itself, its accessibility, and 

 the market conditions of the region. Great care was taken to avoid 

 the fixing of arbitrary values not justified by local conditions. The 

 advertisement for competitive bids in all sales of timber for more 

 than $100 in value still further insured the disposal of timber from 

 National Forests for neither more nor less than its actual market 

 value. 



When rights of way are granted within National Forests, payment 

 is required for the actual value of all timber necessarily cut or de- 

 stroyed. The most important case of this kind during the past year 

 was that of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Eailway Company. 

 The right of way of this railroad, 200 feet wide, runs through the 

 Helena, Lolo, Coeur d'Alene, and Washington Forests. The com- 

 pany agreed to clear, and keep clear, as a safeguard against fire, 

 additional strips from 50 to 150 feet wide, according to the fire risk, 

 on each side of its right of way, and to pay the market value for all 

 merchantable timber cut. 



Not only is timber sold from the National Forests, but it is also 

 given away under the regulations providing for the free use of timber 

 by settlers, prospectors, miners, and others who may not reasonably 

 be required to purchase. Full advantage of these regulations has 

 been taken by the people living in the vicinity of National Forests, 

 and large quantities of saw timber, fuel, and fencing are taken every 

 year for use on ranches and in developing mining claims and fo2 

 other domestic use. During the past year more than 15,000 permits 

 to take timber free of charge from National Forests were issued. The 

 timber involved was valued at more than $75,000. The cutting of 

 timber given away under free-use permit is carefully regulated so 

 as to provide for the safety of the Forests, as in timber sales, but 

 particular attention is given to insure that settlers obtain timber 

 which they desire, easily and quickly. 



The readiness with which timber may be had by purchase and 

 under the free-use regulations has resulted in the almost complete 

 absence of timber trespassing on National Forests during the past 

 year. By far the larger number of the trespasses reported during 

 the year were committed before the. timber involved was included 

 within a National Forest. Some of the trespassers themselves noti- 

 fied the Forest officers that they had cut the timber, and offered set- 

 tlement. The total receipts from the settlement of timber trespasses 

 during the year were $65,536.32. 



KECONNiCISSANCE. 



To guide the Service in selling National Forest timber, systematic 

 estimates of the total stand of merchantable timber of the different 

 species were carried forward vigorously. A detailed working plan 

 was prepared during the past year for Henrys Lake National Forest, 

 in Idaho, to determine how much timber may be cut from it annually, 

 without impairing the supply required to provide for local needs. 

 Plans for regulating the cut on all National Forests were also taken 

 up on the basis of the best available estimates and the present demand. 



