8 HANDBOOK FOR CAMPERS. 



witkin the National Forests of California amounts to 100,- 

 000,000,000 feet board measure. It consists chiefly of western 

 yellow pine, sugar pine, Douglas fir, white and red fir, and 

 incense cedar. 



HOW THE FORESTS ARE ADMINISTERED. 



The Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture admin- 

 isters the National Forests. It protects them from fire and other 

 destructiye agencies. It builds roads, , trails, telephone lines, 

 bridges, and other works to make them accessible. It conducts 

 the sale and oversees the cutting of mature timber in accordance 

 with the principles of forestry. It regulates the grazing of live 

 stock in a way to improve the range and protect the settler and 

 home builder from unfair competition in its use. It issues per- 

 mits for the development of water power and for the construc- 

 tion of hotels, dwellings, stores, factories, telephone lines, con- 

 duits, public roads, reservoirs, power transmission lines, and 

 scores of other uses. 



The resources of the National Forests are not locked up. The 

 timber, water, and pasture are for the use of the people, and 

 the minerals are open to development just as on unreserved 

 public land. 



Each National Forest is in charge of a supervisor, who plans 

 the work on his Forest under the instructions of the district 

 forester and supervises its execution. His headquarters is lo- 

 cated in a town conveniently situated with regard to his Forest. 

 The work on the ground in the supervision of timber sales, 

 grazing, free use of timber, special use, and other contracts and 

 permits, the carrying out of the protection and improvement 

 plans, and other administrative activities are performed by 

 rangers. The Forests are divided into ranger districts with a 

 ranger in charge of each. The average ranger district has about 

 250,000 aces, but some are much larger. 



