

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



MISCELLANEOUS CIRCULAR NO. 61 



WASHINGTON, D. C. 



MAY, 1926 



THE NATIONAL FORESTS OF IDAHO 



PREPARED BY THE INTERMOUNTAIN AND NORTHERN DISTRICTS OF THE FOREST SERVICE 



CONTENTS 



Page 



Extent and purposes 2 



Resources of the national forests — 3 



Timber 3 



Forage resources 10 



Watershed values 13 



Recreation 14 



How the national forests are 



handled 15 



Organization of the Forest 



Service 15 



Forest fires 16 



Forest improvements 20 



Forest planting 21 



Investigative work 22 



Kaniksu National Forest 22 



Fend Oreille National Forest 23 



Coeur d'Alene National Forest 24 



Page 



St. Joe National Forest 24 



Clearwater National Forest 25 



Selway National Forest 26 



Nezperce National Forest 26 



Idaho National Forest 27 



Weiser National Forest 28 



Payette National Forest 28 



Boise National Forest 29 



Sawtooth National Forest 29 



Challis National Forest 31 



Salmon National Forest 31 



Lemhi National Forest 32 



Targh.ee National Forest 32 



Caribou National Forest 32 



Cache National Forest 33 



Minidoka National Forest 34 



EXTENT AND PURPOSES 



The State of Idaho is endowed with unusual forest resources. 

 Of the 53,346,660 acres of land within the State, about 23 million 

 acres, or 43 per cent, is forested. Many large areas are owned by 

 private individuals or companies; other forest lands belong to the 

 State itself. Slightly over 19 million acres is held by the Federal 

 Government as national forests. 



A national forest is an area of public land set aside by congres- 

 sional action to be managed in such a way that all its natural re- 

 sources will be conserved. In this sense, conservation does not 

 mean withdrawal from use. It simply means such use of the re- 

 sources as will not impair the producing power of the land but 

 will maintain or increase that producing power from year to year 

 and from century to century. 



The policy under wmich the national forests are administered 

 has been clearly outlined by the Secretary of Agriculture in the 

 following words: 



National forests have for their objects, to insure a perpetual supply of 

 timber, to preserve the forest cover which regulates the flow of streams, and 

 to provide for the use of all resources which the forests contain, in the 

 ways which will make them of largest service. Largest service means great- 

 est good to the greatest number in the long run. It means conservation 

 through use, with full recognition of all existing individual rights and 

 73515°— 26- 1 



