6 Circular 211, Dept. of Agriculture 



The original act made no provision for administer- 

 ing the reserves, and the withdrawal of land involved 

 from all forms of settlement met with vigorous dis- 

 approval, especially in the West where the reserves 

 were situated. These defects, however, were largely 

 removed by Congress on June 4, 1897, in a law outlin- 

 ing a system of organization and management for the 

 reserves and placing their administration under tl * 

 Secretary of the Interior. The American national 

 forest system really dates from the passage of that act. 



Government administration of the reserves soon 

 made apparent the necessity for scientific forestry, 

 to make their use general. It was the duty of the 

 Secretary of the Interior to prescribe regulations 

 which would insure the fulfillment of the objects 

 aimed at in creating the reserves. Timber cutting 

 must provide for the growing of a new timber crop. 

 Unrestricted grazing had seriously injured the range; 

 it was necessary to devise methods for increasing the 

 forage crop. Both timber use and grazing use must 

 be so managed that water supplies would be main- 

 tained and bettered. All the resources of the forests 

 needed to be given careful consideration and plans de^ 

 vised for their best development. Without such plans 

 little of the value of the forests to the public could 

 be secured. Technical problems were involved which 

 the officials of the Interior Department felt to be out- 

 side their province. They therefore at first requested 

 the aid of the experts of the Department of Agricul- 

 ture as advisers, and soon recommended the transfer 

 of administration of the reserves to the latter depart- 

 ment. 



This transfer took place in 1905. In 1907 the name 

 " forest reserves" was changed to "national forests," | 

 by act of Congress, to indicate that their resources 

 are not locked up as "reserves" for a distant future. 

 National forests are under Government management 1 

 for the purpose of securing sound economic and in- 

 dustrial development of large areas of timberland in 

 the best interests of all, which experience has shown 

 can not be equally attained under private ownership. 



