Purchase of Land for National Forests. 3 



ber production without the ownership of the entire area by tlie 

 Federal Government. Fortunately, conditions within the region 

 generally indicate with sufficient clearness what lands the Govern- 

 ment should acquire. Much difference exists in the character of the 

 lands in different parts of the region. Mountains are higher, slopes 

 steeper, rainfall heavier, and the soil more easily washed in some 

 sections that in others. 



PURCHASE UNITS. 



In a number of localities where such conditions prevail with 

 marked intensity, purchase units have been designated. These units 

 are described on pages 6 to 12 of this circular. Examinations of 

 lands with a view to purchase will at present be made only within 

 them. 



The areas which have been so designated contain from 80,000 to 

 1,000,000 acres each. It is not expected that all the lands within 

 any unit will be acquired. Many small bodies of land more valuable 

 for agriculture or for other purposes than for timber growing are 

 included. These will not be purchased. Furthermore, not all the 

 mountainous nonagricultural land will be required to carry out the 

 present plans of the Government. Although it is not necessary 

 to acquire all of any unit where purchases are to be made, a compact 

 body of sufficient size to justify the employment of men for protec- 

 tion and administration must be secured. If only small and isolated 

 tracts can be obtained, it will not be advisable to undertake purchases. 



CLASSES OF LAND DESIRED. 



Lands of the following classes will be considered for purchase 

 when they lie within a designated unit: (1) Culled lands or cut- 

 over lands which are unburned; (2) timbered lands, including both 

 land and timber ; or the land, with the timber reserved to the owner 

 under rules of cutting to be agreed upon at the time of sale; or, 

 when the timber rights are outstanding in a third party, the timber 

 to be removed in a manner which is acceptable to the Secretary of 

 Agriculture; (3) brush land, not bearing merchantable timber in 

 quantity but covered with a growth of brush which is useful for 

 watershed protection, and burned land, whether covered with young- 

 timber growth or not; (4) abandoned farm land, whether remain^ 

 ing cleared or partly covered by timber growth. Good agricultural 

 lands will not be considered. 



A bond may be required if the timber rights are reserved before 

 cutting begins, in order to secure the proper compliance with the 

 cutting regulations. 



MINERAL RESERVATIONS. 



If a mine has been developed, or if valuable mineral deposits 

 are known to exist, the right to remove such deposits may be re- 

 served to the owner, under conditions to be agreed upon, such condi- 

 tions to be incorporated in the written instrument of conveyance. 

 Lands, however, will not be recommended for purchase subject to 

 mineral reservations if there is no satisfactory evidence of the pres- 

 ence of minerals of value, notwithstanding the ver}^ general custom 

 in many mountain sections of reserving all or a portion of the min- 

 eral rights merely on the prospect that something valuable may 



