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Sierra Club Bulletin. 



production of trees than for agricultural crops, and lands densely 

 stocked with young trees having a prospective value greater than 

 the value of the land for agricultural purposes, should be retained 

 within the National Forests. 



3. Lands not either wholly or in part covered with timber 

 or undergrowth, which are located above timber line within the 

 Forest boundary or in small bodies scattered through the Forest, 

 making elimination impracticable, or limited areas which are 

 necessarily included for a proper administrative boundary line, 

 should be retained within the National Forests. 



4. Lands not either wholly or in part covered with timber or 

 undergrowth, except as provided for in the preceding paragraphs, 

 upon which it is not expected to grow trees, should be eliminated 

 from the National Forests. 



We have the honor to be. 



Very respectfully. 



Your obedient servants, 



(Signed) James Wilson, 



Secretary of Agriculture. 

 (Signed) R. A. Ballinger, 



Secretary of the Interior. 



Our 60,000 miles of National Forest boundaries were examined 

 by Forest Service officers during 1909, which will result in the 

 restoration to the public domain of 4,000,000 acres or more of 

 National Forest land. This is something over two per cent, of 

 the total National Forest area. The greater part of this is 

 grazing land, and the changes which are called for in forest land 

 are of minor importance. The greatest restorations were made 

 in Idaho. Since these changes have been announced, a con- 

 siderable number of protests from stockmen have been received 

 by the United States Department of Agriculture against the 

 eliminations in certain quarters. The latter have learned that 

 a low rental giving them protection is far better than a free 

 range allowing the invasion of nomadic herders. They also 

 assert that the protection afforded the plant growth has increased 

 streamflow and improved the watershed. This is gratifying 

 news, for the policy of regulation, in business, in traffic and the 

 use of our national resources is one of the means of salvation 

 offered this great nation. W. R. D. 



Forest The opinion handed down by the Maine Supreme 



Taxation. Court March 10, 1908, favorable to the State's 

 constitutional right to regulate timber cutting, 

 continues to attract wide attention. State regulation and forest 

 taxation were the principal subjects of the papers presented 



