New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-05-30
THE WESTERN FORESTS.
4 PLAN FOR PUTTING THEM IN THE CARE
OF PEOPLE WHO DEPEND ON THEM.
THE GOVERNMENT URGED TO cEDE THE WOOD
AND GRAZING LANDS IL TRusr-PRAC-

AID GRAZING LANDS IL TRusr-PRAC-
TlcAL EXPERIENCE OF TIE PEOPLE
1yTAKING CARE OF FORESTS
RI the Editor Of The Tribune.
sir: The policy Of the General Government LOT
n,occng It's forests, IL policy 1t can be called mas
resulted In that II has protected tree lro
either fire or aXc. lis total work coHsls's III y"
laws agains, stealing which are more rouo'c'""c "
The settler than the timber THIEF. Inc p'pP'
living In the Arid Region know That lor c'c'N wv
emf n hundred are destroyed BY fire. They r'aLHc
, M, :, = % punl,h n man for stealing Few
lors while fires arc permitted TO destroy thlns'"'s
~ them. They laugh at the law ana Jury '"""o'
hc fund which will send timber thief 10 PiSon'
I, * NOT only the loss Of the timber "men '"e''
uccpc dcplorc: they fully appreciate th't ''0 wv
structlon Of the forests means the run Vi ',0" -
s,,,Iv They may not be we'll Informed IN rf"iru
70 the physical laws governing climate ana r''"i""
,a a., {, nucnce of p,evailng winds but they Know
vho, the ,,coplc of the Fast beginning 10 ica'"
that the forests regulate the flow OF streams wv,
know that from the forest covered h'iiS 'o"'c
pcrcn al streams that keep their dltchcs "'i III w
summer long while from the barren mountain" 'o"'o
tbe streams that tear away their dams ana h'",7"''
T. Anil and become streaks Of dry sand ana nut
bmildcrs in August. -, ,..r,
roo,rc vhcn he counselcd the destruction "t .he
,o,css and the buildings OF reservoirs 10 co'SI wv
waters I'm their stead They know ana tic s''"'u ""u"
that artificial reservoirs cannot possibly q" dny ior ''
forests The very children on the mountains A"oM
thu, fcyy nine loughs thrown over shoWu'' WIZ
e,vc tI,om n SUNNY Of snow Ice" thfouBho"o INV
summer. ,.. +,
Tho rccent IRRIGATION Congress In Salt Lake ''y III
cludcd some Of the ablcst men OF the Ara i''eio"
After three DAYS II full and open d'scusS'on' NV,
nass.d a resolution asking Congress 10 c'uc III "",'
all thr lands ~ The Arid Eerion-cxc"pt mhcr'i i"'
to the states and Territories therein Perhaps ,'ic
strongest argument put forward was TINT inc 9'"'
,,,t fr,,n ,he rcycnucs derived from these lands,
rrnv,dc for hc proper protection Of tho forests Ih'y
said TO the Government Grnnt us these forests "'
von arc giving up to destruction ana 'he'' ,.'"'5
lands Of which yon make no nse ana VIC VIII saw
the one and develop the other
A Board Of Waters. Lands and FORESTS III ''''
stoie viii have the entire control of thes" great lh''r
css The task IS one Of grave difficulty IL Will eau for
mon OF engineering skill, skilled In IA" iaw' men
of executive force md above all men OF patience sue
cessfullv 10 solve the problems which II VIII Ho"c'
with the revenues from the lands such men can Nv -
curcd one Of their first duties will b" the estab-
ushrcnt Of system of forest patrols. one 10 c'o"
thirty miles square. who Will roam IN" for'''s 'ne
summon throuch. when I'm the Stlll morning air
thin pillar II smoke rsos from some d'S"r'u camp
fire. the pntrol at hlS post on hlgh pare p"V VII,
hurricdIy saddle his horse and before the day wlnd
has famed tina; smok" Into flame water i'"'" AIS
The destruction Of the forests cones, not iroh '"c
,at number Of fires but from the few that are never
pnt ont People are more cnrcful about their fires
in this region than is generally supposed but there are
no rains until the autumn To put ont those ta' F''
started In the yellow stone Park. although mon
sands Of camp fires made every year, the pa'toi
hovo little difficulty In keeping down those ca'rlc''y
left 70 RIM II Is the fires coming In from th" outside
tha, make the trouble ana ARE fast destroying the
wooded beauty Of that wonderland
This . Army ~ rntrols7 which would bo necessary
IA po,cc, those forests Is not very prmdhnle one
The state OF Idaho has within IT, borders about w.
600 600 acres Of forests and would require about
10 patrols 10 maintain this fore" sh"iu
cost the state about 10000 per annnm.
The state Ia, also about oO.OD.0Do acres OF graz
Ing lands quarter Of thcS" rented Mt two cents
nor nero would pay the expense - the forest patrol
and $4,000 more. The services OF these p''r"iS
would nlso bc I'm demand for watching and regulating
the cutting % the forest products There i no reason
able objection t. cutiing much OF the TIMBER Oh
these forests. II properly done IT would be u inarh'u
benefit
II 3, proposed that these forest aud grazing ianhs
o coded tho states In only the state "a retain
complete control Of the forests AMI t. rent IA" graz
lands on long terms I'm tracts n't exceeding ''o"
acres TO any ON. prr.on. with III" security Tor his
improvements which this long lease would give, the
.,tIcr would fence his allotment and secure water.
,Ira,c a garden and perhaps orhard. soon these
vast rolling plains which appear endless AMI
20 dcsnato would b. dotted here mud there with paiccs
Of green and each would b. Il home surrounded by
grass and gnrdcns and trees. The endless war be-
tween COWBOY and shccpherdcr would cease. because
cnch would keep his bands within bis own enclosure"
The enorm is wascful herds with their annually
Starving thousands would DO dispersed, and sturdy
though sparse population would find plenty where
noy +, but a drcary waste under tho domination Of
great cattle companies
Tie rricnbe lands are. OF course not necessary
io the forests. but the forests are necessary To
them they NAV bc mentioned here rs n part OF Tie
general problem. They should In any case be III
clnGcd In the ccsson. because the boundary line be
tween the irritable lands aud the grazing lands can
never become fixed Through the progress OF irl-
cntion what l. pasture land today NAV In few
yars become highly cultivated fields. Greater economy
I'm the use Of water greater facilities for building
canals and dams. AMI tho Increased value OF land.
arc constantly wording to tbs spreading OF water on
the pasture lands.
The disposition OF the irrIgabc lands Is much
more difficult problem than the protection OF the forests
or the development OF Ahc pa-turc lands. As the
General Government has made such a total failure
with the simple problem Of the forests th'rc Is no
req son TO suppose IT would be more successful with
the Intricate OF the rrlgablc Lands. THIS ana
the control OF the waters Will be the hardest part OF
the difficult task OF the Board OF Waters Lands and
Forests Engineers know well ahat the laws oil
running observation-disclosures very Intricate ana
extremely difficult Of accurate determination. When
this water becomes Of great value and Is spread In
nnuncrnblc streams over hrge areas among thou
sands OF Owncrs-ior each user OF water becomes.
under the law. 10 certain extent. the owner-thc
complcn ons and difficulties OF accurately determining
each mans rights are multiplied many times. Add
to this varying condltlons-as In times OF scarcity
when ench mnn Is compelled TO give mp part OF his
rights and suffer direct loss In consequence and some
idea Of the problem Of distribution OF water for rri-
rnti0n may be conceived.
Not only has each state different conditions ana
cl,nntes surrounding its irrigation problems but there
are within each different conditions 10 be
met I'm different localities. One great valley needs