PRACTICAL RESULTS OF THE REGU- 

 LATION OF GRAZING ON THE 

 FOREST RESERVES 



BY 

 A. F. POTTER 



Bureau of Forestry 



I N the administration of the National Forest Re- 

 serves, one of the first matters of importance which 

 the Government has been called upon to settle, is the 

 proper adjustment of grazing privileges. It has often 

 happened that in the establishment of forest reserves 

 the customary ranges used in pasturing live stock have 

 been included and consequently the stockmen have 

 been directly interested in the rules and regulations 

 and the policy which was to be adopted in their ad- 

 ministration. 



At first there was considerable doubt as to the 

 practicability of such regulation of grazing and stock- 

 men feared that the restrictions imposed would be detri- 

 mental to their interests. The sheepmen were alarmed 

 because at first the rules excluded this class of stock en- 

 tirely from all reserves except those of Oregon and 

 Washington, and consequently they strongly opposed 

 the creation of forest reserves elsewhere which included 

 large areas of grazing land. By investigations which 

 followed it was found that in many of the reserves 

 total exclusion of sheep was unnecessary, but that a 

 limited numlber of this class of stock could safely be 

 allowed under such restrictions as would prevent 

 injury to the forest and insure a proper use of the 

 range. The regulations were therefore so modified 



