THE FORESTER AND HIS WORK 231 



ling nurseries. Because most of our National 

 Forests are on high mountain land, where only 

 evergreens can endure the fierce gales and 

 heavy snows, and because pine lumber is so use- 

 ful and in such constant demand, most of the 

 seeds planted in these nurseries are seeds of the 

 pines. 



Sale of Timber. The Forest Service is al- 

 ways on the lookout to improve the timber stand. 

 This is best accomplished by the removal of 

 trees that are no longer growing at a profitable 

 rate. From time to time an expert selects the 

 "ripe" trees and tickets them "U. S." These 

 tr^es are offered to homestead settlers and 

 farmers for their own use at the actual cost of 

 making the sale, with no charge whatever for 

 the timber itself. The purchaser is required to 

 cut the trunk close to the ground and to clear 

 away all rubbish that might feed a fire. Care 

 must be taken also not to break or interfere with 

 young trees that may be growing near. 



The Forest Service holds out every induce- 

 ment to settlers within their borders. How- 

 ever, little of the National Forest lands are such 

 as farmers and ranchmen desire. They are 

 rocky and barren and so high above sea level 

 that the snow lies in them nine months of the 

 year. 



