74 SURVEYS OF FOREST RESERVES. 



FOREST FORCE. 



It has already been recommended in Part II that one ranger be sta- 

 tioned at Oregon City and another at Jtioseburg. Five guards at or 

 near Summit Camp, Detroit, Sisters, Big Meadows, and Port Klamath, 

 with 30 iire- watchers at local points, complete the list of men assigned 

 to this reserve uuder the plan heretofore described. 



FOREST MANAGEMENT. 



Actual forest management will probably first be possible in the upper 

 Santiam Valley, on the western slope, where the character of the repro- 

 duction indicates either clear cutting in strips or a system of selection 

 fellings extremely localized. Operations should be delayed until a 

 stronger demand becomes evident. 



East of the summit provision will be required to furnish settlers and 

 ranchers with small amounts of timber, but the commercial develop- 

 ment of these forests is not at present required. Forest fires and the 

 supervision of sheep ranging throughout the reserve must form the 

 most important objects of management for some years to come. The 

 regulations suggested by Mr. Coville, and quoted in Part II of this 

 report, should be adopted; and it is here repeated that unless a year is 

 to be lost in the enforcement of this reform measures must be taken at 

 once to carry out Mr. Goville's plan. It is earnestly recommended that 

 such action be taken without delay. 



BOUNDARIES. 



Study of the reserve has developed the fact that the present bound- 

 aries are far less faulty than had been supposed. Until more complete 

 examination of them can be made it is recommended that they be 

 allowed to remain without change. 



FLATHEAD FOREST RESERVE. 



SUMMARY. 



Situation : Northwestern Montana. Acres. 



Area within present lines ^ 1 Sgj 400 



Adverse holdings not known. ' ' 



Per cent of 

 total area. 



Area of forest land (?)90 



Area marked by fire (?) 25 



Area badly burned '/_[ (?) 15 



Revised lines can not be drawn without further study and a map. 



Force recomraended: A. limited supervision by the forest force charged with the 



Bitterroot and Lewis and Clark reserves. 

 Sources of information : Personal examination, two weeks in June and Julv ]896- 



September 9-25, 1897. ^' ' 



An exceedingly broken mountain region, densely timbered with tall trees on the 

 west side of the continental divide, less densely timbered on the east. 



The water supply on the oast and the floods on the west furnish imperative reasons 

 for the protection of these forests. 



Mining locations are locally numerous, and will increase. 



Agriculture is of little importance. 



Grazing is of little importance. 



Provisions are immediately required under which mining timber may leeallv be 

 cut, and by means of which the fires which will follow the development of prospect- 

 ing east of the summit may be controlled. The construction of trails is important 



