THE NATIONAL FORESTS OF IDAHO 6 



feet, and is neither sufficient in amount nor rightly located to fill the 

 gap. (See Table 3 and fig. 3.) Prevention of fire on cut-over 

 lands, reforestation, and scientific management of all forest lands, 

 private as well as public, are necessary if timber production in the 

 State is to be maintained at anything near the present rate. 



Table 2. — Distribution of timber in Idaho 



NORTH IDAHO 



Distribution 



Western 

 white 

 pine 



Western 



yellow 



pine 



Larch 



and 



Douglas 



fir 



Lodgepole 

 pine 



Other 



species 



Total 





Millions of board-feet 





3,607 



164 



2, 255 



7,246 



1,946 

 146 

 411 



3,085 



6,602 

 241 



1,687 

 6, 563 



2,724 



8,619 



211 



1,907 



5,699 



28,498 





762 







6,260 







22, 593 









Total, north Idaho 



13, 272 



5,588 



15, 093 



2,724 



16, 436 



53, IK 







SOUTH IDAHO 







8,568 

 1,032 

 2,104 



8,081 

 294 

 601 



4,531 

 63 



4,150 

 168 

 300 



25, 330 



State forests 





1,557 







3,005 









Total, south Idaho 





11,704 



8,976 



4,594 



4,618 



29, 892 









Grand total -. 



13, 272 



17, 292 



24, 069 



7,318 



21, 054 



83, 005 





National Fobest Timbek Policy 



In handling the timber on the national forests, it is the policy of 

 the Forest Service to cut only as fast as the timber can be replaced 

 through growth. In general, the cutting is confined to mature 

 timber which has ceased to make rapid growth, or it is in the nature 

 of thinnings, by means of which increased growth can be obtained. 

 As far as possible, the cutting is done so as to favor the most valu- 

 able species. The green trees to be cut are carefully selected and 

 marked, and close utilization is obtained through cutting low 

 stumps and using all the sound material in the trees. Slash is piled 

 and burned or otherwise disposed of in order to reduce fire danger. 

 Timber is sold by the thousand board-feet or by the piece, and is 

 carefully scaled or counted, so that payment is obtained for the 

 quantity actually cut. 



The Forest Service does not undertake logging or the manufac- 

 ture of timber products, but sells the timber which it wishes to dis- 

 pose of to the highest bidder, the only exception being that under 

 the law timber is sold to settlers and ranchers at a price which equals 

 the cost to the Government of making the sale and supervising the 

 cutting and brush disposal. Although a very great number of such 

 sales is made, the total volume of timber involved is not large. Dead 

 timber is given away freely to local residents for fuel and other pur- 

 poses. Its removal is a distinct benefit to the forest, as its presence 

 constitutes a fire danger and encourages insect depredations. 



