SURVEYS OF FOREST RESERVES. 103 



Fires have extended over the larger part of the reserve, and, as a 

 result of their action, many square miles of it are nqw covered with 

 brush. When the latter takes fire it is exceedingly difficult to deal 

 with, because the brush itself is hard to penetrate and means of com- 

 munication are few. I am unable to offer any estimate of the damage 

 done to standing timber, but there can be, little question that the per- 

 centage of unsound trees is very greatly raised wherever fires prevail. 



The chief importance of this reserve is for protection of streams, 

 which furnish the water for irrigation in the very productive ranches 

 which lie below the reserve. The latter is, in fact, surrounded on all 

 sides by lands which need only water to be extremely fertile, l^fear 

 Hemet, on the western side, one irrigation company has already built 

 a very large dam, and expects to furnish 5,000 inches of water. The 

 protection of the upper slopes above the stream used by this company 

 is essential to the prosperity of the ranchers whom it serves, and the 

 same general statement applies to many other streams. I did not learn 

 that floods have reached any considerable importance, but it is proba- 

 ble that further investigation would show the contrary. 



Mining has had little or no development in this reserve until now, 

 nor am I informed of any considerable promise for the future. 



AGKICULTURE. 



With' the exception of occasional openings, such as Strawberry Val- 

 ley, agriculture within the reserve is of little or no importance. Out- 

 side of its limits a very large area of agricultural land depends upon 

 the water supply which it furnishes. Fencing and fuel for the ranchers 

 living on this land are also derived from the reserve, which would be 

 immensely more valuable in this direction if its forest had been pro- 

 tected from fires. 



Grazing has been practiced to some extent within the reserve, but 

 further investigation is needed before definite statements can be made. 



FOREST FORCE. 



The forest force required to care for this reserve under the present 

 scheme consists of the forest ranger at San Bernardino, and 1 guard 

 at Hemet, together with 4 fire watchers. The interest of surround- 

 ing ranchers in the protection of these forests will furnish very materal 

 aid in the prevention of flies, which must for some time to come be 

 the chief function of a forest service here. 



FOREST MANAGEMENT. 



Supplies of timber for settlers on all sides of the reserve will eventu- 

 ally be drawn from it. A simple system of licenses should be devised 

 and enforced as soon as practicable, in order to enable ranchers and 

 others legally to obtain indispensable timber and fuel from the forest, 



