Evening star., 1898-10-12
Report of General Land Commissioner
Hermann.
PROTECTION OF THE TIMBER LAND
Billions Of Feet Destroyed by
Fire.
RAILWAY LAND GRANTS

lub1c today. Comm SS1oDer hermann says:
The work of year in endeavoring TO
patrol to some extent certain of the reser-
rations has shown that the subject of for
est fires is the foremost demanding
attention at present, fire being the one
paramount danger to which the reserves
are exposed, threatening not only the grow
ing forests, but the forest lands as WELL
whose productiveness it retards for an in
definite period.
Billions Of Feet of Timber Burned.
1T Is IS -imated that more than II ,ODn, OJO,-
COO of feet of public timber have been de-
stroyed by fire within the past thrty-fve
years, representing in value many millions
of dollars. This actual present loss in tim
Der is, however. insignificant in comparison
with the effects of the fires on the future of
these forests, since to this direct loss must
De added the prospective increase in value
CT the young and growing forest during
the years since they were destroyed, and
also the injury to the productiveness of the
soil.
Nor do the disastrous results cease here,
since the direct effect on the flow of
streams and agricultural possibilities de-
pendent thereon st be considered.
Moreover, the loss has been one wholly
without compensation. None of the timber
mas gore toward the development of the
country nor have local interests been pene-
fitted in anywise, as is the case, to a large
extent. when the spoliation of forest lands
results from cutting. No one IS benefited
when the destruction of forests is the work
of conttagration-the loss is total,
Many of our western forests are report
ed to be peculiarly liable to fires-the in
Hammable character of the highly resiaous
trees in certain portions of the west, and
the hot, dry climate of those regions COM
blnlng to make fires frequent and destr1c-
i've Under these conditions, the magni-
tude of the task involved in protecting
such forests from the confiagrations that
yearly sweep thro Ugh them, is readily ap-
preciated. 1t is clearly one that cannot be
accomplished without extraordinary effort,
requiring force Of men in proportion to
the great forested areas to be patrolled
IN view, however, Of what one fire can
cost in day, in frreparabe destruction
wrought, the matter is clearly one demand
ibg, nom an economic standpoint meas
ures proportionate to the issues involved
Protecting the Reserves.
Next to fires, sheep grazing constitutes
the most serious difficulty to be considered
in administering certain of the reserves.
Present regulations allow the pasturing of
live stock on the public lands in reserva-
tons so long as it appears that injury is
not being done to the forest growth and
the rights of others are not thereby ieop-
ardfzed. 1t has been found necessary, how
ever, to prohibit, for the present, the pas
turing of sheep in all of the reserves ex-
cept those in the states of Oregon and
Washington, for the reason that sheep
grazing has been found injurious to the
forest cover, and therefore of serious con-
sequence in regions where the rainfall is
limited. Appreciatng however that these
great bodies of reserved land should not be
ehtlreiy Withdrawn from all occupation
ana use in connection with so large and
important industry d., sheen raising.
special efforts have been directed toward
ascertaining the particular regions in which
the conditions are such as to demand the
exclusion of sheep, and toward acquiring
the information necessary to a determIna-
ton as to the nature of the restrictions re-
CURED to regulate sheep grazing IN other
regions.
Public opinion is reported to have un-
dergohe or late material charge in favor
OF reservations, owing to a better under
standing of the object of same 1t is fa ct
becoming more generally appreciated that
IL is not intended to withhold these great
areas from the general use of the public
ana practically lock UP their resources
but that the purpose is to maintain and
utilize their forest products in a state of
the highest continued production for the
direct benefit of the people In other words.
the public mind begins to distinguish be-
tween forest reservation and a national
park or an Indian reservation And with
TINS clearer comprehension as to the pur-
poses to be served by forest reserves, op-
position thereto is subsiding
Efficient protection from the scourge of
fire and the regulation of sheep grazing in
connection with adopting system of tim
Der cutting, with view to the satisfaction
or local demands for forest products will
doubtless, serve to rapidly settle the ques-
ton of further opposition from citizens hay-
ing the public welfare at heart.
so far. 1t has rot been possible to prac-
tically enter upon the work of conducting
sales of timber, provided for in the act
OF June 4, 1897. The subject demands how
ever immediate attention as a leading fea-
ture of forest administration and as such
is now receiving careful consideration from
this office, with view to inauguratin a
rational system of timber cutting which
while keeping in view the Improvement of
the forests will supply local demands for
forest products. and at the same time yield
a fair return in money to the government
Ihe work Is clearly one which will require
to certain extent, experience and train
ing on the part of forest officers; since
otherwise, the forest, may suffer seriously
as the result of the operations
Depredations Upon Timber.
Unlawful appropriation 5of public tim
Der has been by no means confined to un-
reserved lands; large cases of depredations
have also been reported upon lands in
cluded within forest reservations During
the year 800 cases of trespasses have been
reported. involving public timber and the
products therefrom to the value of s626,.
49, Al recoverable to the government
The amount involved in PROPOSITIONS OF
settlement accepted by this office compro
n ises effected under section 1863 United
States Revised Statutes. and sales of tim
ber and lumber is $23, ,4Sl.77, and the
amount involved in fines imposed and
judgments rendered is S12O, 762. 70.
"On the 3Oth day of June 1898. there
were pending in the United States courts
140 civil suits for the recovery of a total
amount of $3,224, 27.36 for the value OF
timber alleged to have been unlawful!y cut
from public lands. and 412 criminal prose-
cutions for the act of cutting and removing
timber in violation of law.
The two serious difficulties with which
this office has had to contend during the
last year in it's efforts to prevent depreda-
tions upon public timber have been as in
the past, the want of proper legislation on
the subject and the need of a sufficient
force of special agents When it is con-
sidered that large portions of the west are
in course of development, the difficulty Of
restraining and regulating the use of tim
Der on public lands is evident.
Under existing conditions, to sat!ssac-
torily control the public timber opera tions
of saw mills and great numbering plants is
each year proved to be difficult While
much has undoubtedly been accomplished
in this direction yet the best efforts Of this
office to wholly check such operations have
been unavaiing. In many quarters depre-
dations are not being suppressed but are,
to a large extent. keeping pace with the
development of the country. This will con-