ably be attached to these holdings for administra- 
tion (fig. 42). 
Some of the handicaps of the ownership situation 
can be overcome by cooperation among owners. 
Public agencies will find that they can often do 
the greatest good by managing public lands in a 
manner to facilitate the sound management of 
private lands. An outstanding example of this is 
the proposed cooperative sustained-yield agreement 
between the J. Neils Lumber Co. and the United 
States. In this instance the objective of pooling 
resources is to make sustained-yield management 
by the company feasible. Thus the continued opera- 
tion of a highly desirable manufacturing plant 
for the sake of community stability is assured. Most 
of the national forests are located atop mountain 
ranges and stop short of the valley floor. Because 
deep snows and rough topography increase the 
problems and costs of seasonal logging, some of 
these areas can be utilized more effectively in 
conjunction with the more accessible lands of other 
owners than as independent units. 
A More Productive Forest 
The forests of Montana have the capacity to 
produce a far greater volume of wood than they 
are now producing. ‘There can be no doubt of that. 
It is possible to nearly double the saw-timber 
growth. If these forests are made fully productive 
and are fully utilized, the cut of all timber can 
eventually be raised to about four times the 1948 
level. At the same time, employment could be 
raised to an even greater degree by intensifying 
manufacturing. 
How successful the State will be in taking ad- 
vantage of the opportunity to fully utilize its forests 
depends upon two factors. First is the factor of 
economic feasibility. As discussed earlier, Montana 
is a marginal area from the standpoint of timber 
industries because of transportation costs. How 
much the situation will change depends to a great 
extent upon the future relationship of timber 
supply and demand for the Nation as a whole. 
If it continues to be fairly hard for the country 
to meet timber-product needs, Montana will be able 
to make more complete use of its timber than it 
would otherwise. The prospects for increased tim- 
ber utilization are very favorable. 
The other factor in the future situation is how 
SSS _ National. Forest 
HMM Public Domain 
[-] Other Owners 
L 
FIGURE 42. 
ageressively the forest protection, development, and 
management jobs are tackled. Handling 15.8 mil- 
lion acres of commercial forest land properly is an 
enormous undertaking. As in any large undertak- 
ing, many problems and complications are involved. 
These can be overcome only if private landowners, 
State and Federal agencies, and the public under- 
stand and agree on objectives and responsibilities, 
and then all do their part. 
Much of the leadership should come from the 
people of Montana. They must decide what they 
want the forests to contribute to the welfare of the 
State. Out of that decision should grow a program 
for capitalizing on this golden opportunity. 
54 Forest Resource Report No. 5 U.S. Department of Agriculture 
PUBLIC DOMAIN LAND ADJACENT TO | 
NATIONAL FOREST LAND - WEST FORK 
OF BITTERROOT RIVER 
