30 DEPABTMENTAl, EEPOBTS. 



the National Forests, gathered by the Service. A scheme was adopted 

 which improved and standardized the methods employed, both in 

 field and in office work. By the use of graphic symbols like those 

 of the U. S. Geological Survey and the Coast and Geodetic Survey, 

 record is made of the character of the land and of the forest, its 

 ownership, grazing conditions, and other matters. To take charge 

 of the maps on which appear the data thus gathered and to keep them 

 always up to date, a special section, that of " The Forest Atlas," was 

 created. 



Folios of the more important Forests are being printed for the use 

 of the field men. Others are duplicated by photography, and copies 

 are furnished to supervisors. The work of preparing these maps of 

 the National Forests was done in cooperation with the U. S. Geolog- 

 ical Survey, which already had carefully prepared topographic maps 

 of much of the country now included within the National Forests. 



GRAZING. 



RANGE CONDITIONS. 



The favorable conditions of the preceding year continued through 

 the past season. The crop of grass and other forage was unusually 

 good. Stock grazed upon the National Forests made good weight, 

 and losses were very small, except that the extremely cold weather 

 in the early spring caused in some localities a heavy loss of lambs, 

 of which the crop was generally only fair. '^ 



The heavy fall of snow during the last winter made it impossible 

 to reach many of the summer ranges on the usual opening date, and 

 in many cases the feed was from two to three weeks late. In conse- 

 quence the summer grazing season on the higher ranges this year 

 will be a short one and there will be an abundance of feed for the 

 stock which regularly graze there. 



The general conditions on the National Forest range are very satis- 

 factory. Many letters from users of the range report an improve- 

 ment m the weight and condition of their stock and a decrease in 

 losses from straying and other causes. Most of the stockmen who 

 use the range are well satisfied with the results of regulating the 

 grazing, and are giving hearty support to the Forest officers in their 

 work of administration. 



CONTROL. 



The regulation of grazing was applied on 50 new Forests. On all 

 the National Forests which were created after March 1, 1907, and on 

 all additions to the older Forests which were made subsequent to that 

 date, the stock which had regularly occupied the range were allowed 

 to remain during the season without the payment of any grazing fee. 



In some of the Forests which have been under administration a 

 sufficient length of time to secure an improvement in forage condi- 

 tions an increase was made in the number of stock allowed, while in 

 a few newly created Forests it was necessary to make reductions in 

 order to stop damage from overgrazing. 



