40 CIRCULAR 4 71, U. S. DEPARTMENT OE AGRICULTURE 



It has been an established policy not to let relief work interfere 

 with employment of regular forest workers. To be sure, many regular 

 workers have been unemployed, owing to low timber prices and re- 

 duced cutting, as well as other curtailment of forest work on account 

 of reduction in forest income. It was estimated that 120,000 to 

 130,000 forest workers were unemployed in 1933. Wherever such 

 workers could be employed, they were given jobs, and in most places 

 they were always given the preference on relief jobs, provided they 

 were actually in need and were on the relief rolls. Many were em- 

 ployed as foremen and crew leaders in connection with emergency 

 work. 



According to orders issued by the chief forester of Prussia in 1933, 

 relief projects must be supplementary (zusatzlich), i. e., jobs that 

 would not ordinarily be done {20). They must be economically 

 worth while, technically feasible, and essentially self-liquidating. 

 They must also promote forest management. The following classes 

 of projects were listed as appropriate: 



1. Work that could not be done otherwise because of reduced funds, such as 

 planting of cut-over areas or those denuded by insects, storms, etc. 



2. Afforestation of idle land. 



3. Construction of roads and similar transportation facilities which will increase 

 future timber values and hence forest income. 



4. Land improvement, where future maintenance of the improvements can 

 be depended on. 



5. Pruning of dead limbs to produce clear timber, especially of pine. 



6. Fencing reproducing areas to favor the development of mixed stands and 

 natural reproduction. Use of pole fences is recommended, in order to save costs 

 and make use of small forest material for which the market demand is small. 



7. Stand improvement, especially the substitution of good races of trees for 

 inferior races, imderplanting of open stands or those needing a hardwood under- 

 story, and improvement cutting. 



In December 1934, the permissible classes of work were increased 

 by adding the following (1, v. 17, pp. 91-92): 



First thinnings in stands so young that they will yield no income. 

 Cutting of underbrush that is hindering growth of young trees. 

 Cutting of small sprouts in converting coppice to high forest. 

 Binding crop trees with twigs, to protect them against peeling and rubbing by 

 deer. 



Construction of game fences. 

 Drainage and irrigation. 



The importance of planning relief projects in advance has been 

 emphasized, both in order to make the work as effective as possible and 

 also to fit it in with seasonal employment in agriculture and other 

 occupations. The attempt is made to use skilled workers on jobs 

 that they can do better than unskilled workers, such as sowing and 

 planting, nursery work, cultural operations, building of paved roads, 

 etc. Unskilled workers are used on ordinary road building, insect 

 control, drain construction, and construction of boundary and fire 

 lines. An attempt is made to give each regular forest worker enough 

 days' employment to supplement his other income, especially in the 

 case of small landowners. This is in accord with the established 

 policy of keeping the rural population from migrating to the cities 

 as soon as conditions improve, and also helps to insure a stable supply 

 of forest workers (15). 



