A recent law approved by the President authorizes the Forest Service to 

 establish sustained-yield units so that the community dependent on national 

 forest and intermingled privately owned timber may continue to exist, 

 rather than become a ghost town when the timber crop has been completely 

 liquidated. Timber cut from a sustained-yield unit will be handled as a 

 unit, and cutting plans will provide for continuous operations. The stump- 

 age value will be determined by careful appraisal. 



The trees to be cut on a national forest sale area are usually marked in 

 advance by a forest officer. Where the forest protects a watershed, no 

 cutting is permitted that would injuriously affect stream flow, or start or 

 increase erosion ; nor is timber taken from recreational areas where it has a 

 special scenic value. For example, the cutting of historic trees or trees of 

 unusual scientific value, such as the bigtree {Sequoia gigantea) of Califor- 

 nia, is not permitted on national forest lands. 



Small timber sales are made by the local ranger and larger sales by the 

 forest supervisor, regional forester, or Chief of the Forest Service. 



Settlers, farmers, and other bona fide residents in a national forest com- 

 munity may obtain free timber for their own use as firewood, fencing, and 

 for building purposes, where the removal of such material aids in the protec- 

 tion and improvement of the forest. They may also secure higher grade 

 material, when needed, by merely paying the costs of making the sale. 



RANGE RESOURCES AND THEIR USE 



Grazing of domestic animals is a major phase of national forest use, par- 

 ticularly in the West. Every year, about 4,500,000 sheep and goats and 

 1,325,000 cattle, horses, and swine, belonging to some 34,000 permittees, 

 graze in our national forests. If young animals (under 6 months) of all 

 kinds (which are not charged for) are added, the total number comes to 

 about 10,000,000. 



Resident settlers and stockmen owning dependent ranch properties get 

 first consideration in the granting of grazing privileges. Each permit speci- 

 fies the number of stock and the portion of the forest on which they may be 

 grazed during a stated period. 



Administration of the range involves the protection, development, and 

 management of the forage resource in such a way as to allow its fullest use 



Figure 6. — Cattle grazing on a range in good condition, Coronado National Forest, 

 Ariz. About 10 million animals graze annually on national forest ranges. 



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