National Forests and the Inter mountain Region 19 



and red sandstone, and the Kaibab National Forest, with its great 

 herds of deer, also appeal to many visitors. The w * dude ranches " 

 of Jacksons Hole, surrounded by the Teton National Forest, are 

 nationally known. The business connected with the recreational 

 activities adds materially to the prosperity of the region. 



DIRECT FINANCIAL CONTRIBUTION OF THE NATIONAL FORESTS 



TO THE COUNTIES 



Not only do the national forests contribute indirectly to the 

 prosperity of nearly every county in the intermountain region; 

 they also yield a good direct return each year in hard cash, a con- 

 tribution that increases automatically as the utilization of forest 

 resources increases. 



When the national forests were created and the lands so embraced 

 were forever removed from the tax rolls, Congress realized the 

 burden that was thus imposed on the counties in which the national 

 forests were located. In order to rectify matters it specified that 

 25 per cent of the gross receipts of the national forests should revert 

 to the county ,in lieu of taxes, stipulating that the sums were to be 

 used for roads and schools. Thus, out of every dollar which the 

 Forest service takes in through the sale of forest products, whether 

 lumber or grazing, or by leasing land for special uses, 25 cents is 

 returned to the county in which the expenditure is made. In the 

 intermountain region the annual receipts from the national forests 

 total nearly $700,000, and accordingly some $175,000 reverts to the 

 different counties. 



The counties receiving the largest contributions are, as a rule, 

 not the richer but rather the sparsely settled and more remote coun- 

 ties, to which these receipts mean a great deal. In 1922 Custer 

 County, Idaho, received over $4,000; Elko County, Xev., over $6,000; 

 Lincoln County Wyo., nearly $7,000. Receipts in 1922 were subnor- 

 mal, but in 1923 the above amounts were almost doubled. The pro- 

 tection and full utilization of national-forest resources means not 

 only the prosperit}^ of the counties adjacent to the national forests, 

 but greater direct returns to the county treasury for the improve- 

 ment of roads and schools. 



In addition to the 25 per cent already mentioned, another 10 per 

 cent of the gross receipts from the national forests is spent by the 

 Forest Service within the State in which it is collected to build roads 

 and trails upon the national forests. Some of the most useful 

 mountain roads in the intermountain region have been constructed 

 from this so-called 10 per cent money. In Utah the road from 

 Kamas to Stockmore across the Uinta Forest was financed by these 

 funds, as well as a large part of the road from Ephraim to Orange- 

 ville, across the Manti Forest. In Idaho the road along the South 

 Fork of the Payette River, which opens up an extensive and valu- 

 able forest region on the headwaters of the Payette, was financed 

 by 10 per cent money. Anything, therefore, that increases the 

 receipts of the national forests means an increase in road and trail 

 building. This, in turn, means accessibility for the resources in the 

 distant mountains and more pleasure for the recreationist. It also 

 means greater efficiency on the part of the Forest Service in pro- 

 tecting these vast areas from fires and other possible destruction. 



