xxviii INTRODUCTION 



posed so as to give all individuals an equal oppor- 

 tunity to enjoy them. These vast resources have 

 been estimated to have a value of over $2,000,000,- 

 000. But their value to the local communities can 

 hardly be overestimated. The welfare of every 

 community is dependent upon a cheap and plentiful 

 supply of timber. If lumber, fence posts, mine 

 props, telephone poles, firevrood, etc., must be 

 brought in from distant markets, the prices are 

 usually very much higher. The regulation of the 

 cut on each National Forest assures a never-failing 

 supply of timber to the home builder and to home 

 industries. Then also the permanence of the great 

 live stock industry is dependent upon a conservative 

 use of vast areas of government range. Local resi- 

 dents are protected from unfair competition. 

 Lastly, the protection by the Forest Service of the 

 forest cover in the western mountains assures a 

 regular stream flow which is of vital importance 

 for power, irrigation, and domestic purposes. 



Perhaps the most comprehensive statement upon 

 the purposes of the National Forests and the meth- 

 ods and general policy of administering them is to 

 be found in a letter by the Secretary of Agricul- 

 ture to the Forester, dated February 1, 1905, when 



