Evening star., 1898-08-08
THE GEOLOGICAL SURVEY
Annual Report Submitted to the Secretary of
the Interior
Data Concerning Forest Reserves
cated-Needs of bureau.

The annual report Of the geological sur
vey has been submitted to the Secretary of
the Interior. II covers the operations of
the department in detail for the past fiscal
year.
From t2s report extracts relative to the
establishment of forest reserves are taken.
follows:
In the sundry civil act approved June 4.
1897, provision was made for the survey of
the forest reserves and the establishment
of forest policy on the part of the gov
ernment.
For long time it was apparent to those
who had given consideration to the subject
that the destruction of the forests of this
country. particularly in the Rocky noun
tain region and on the Pacific coast had
been proceeding at a rate far more rapid
than that of their restocking by growth.
and that this destruction was wrought
chiefly by fire, from which no benefit what
ever accrues to the community, rather than
by cutting, which, however wasteful it may
be, results in good to the community and is
a necessity. Movements in favor of the
protection of the forests from fire and for
the regulation of the cutting of timber
therein were not successful owing to the
lack of a sufficiently strong local sentf-
ment. Several years ago those Interested
in the protection of the forests determined
TO endeavor to have segregated certain
parts of the public domain, reserving them
from settlement, and to place them under
the protection and regulation of the general
government.
Under an act OF Congress seventeen for
est reservations were established prior to
September 2S, 1893, aggregatin. in area IL
364 500 acres. They were located in Wash
inSton, Oregon, California, Wyoming Col
orado, Arizona, New Mexico and Alaska
Additional Reserves.
THE establishment OF these reserves at
tracted little attention. and created little or
10 opposition, since no real protection was
afforded to areas reserved, and the cutting
Of timber and destruction by fires went on
within their limits elsewhere.
On February %. 1857, in accordance with
the recommendations of q committee of the
National Academy of Sciences, thirteen ad-
ecutive order, containing an aggregate area
Oh G,3IJ,S40 acres. These We're located
principally in South Dakota, wyoming
Montana, Idaho. Washington and Cali
fornia. As was anticipated, the establish
ment OF these reserves produced strong
protest from the residents of the states in
terested. resulting in the provision inccr-
Iorated in the sundry civil act approved
Jane f. 1897, suspending the reserves until
March /. 1928, and providing for their ex-
animation and survey by the geological
survey during the Intervening time appro-
priating $4,000 for this purpose. The OBJ
ject of this was to obtain for the use of the
department and the President the neccs-
sary information for revising the hounda-
res OF the reserves, and subtracting from
tkt m such areas as were found TO be more
valuable for agriculture or mining than for
the timber they contain
The suspension Of the forest reserves in
the states of Wyoming. Montana Utah
Washington, Idaho and South Dakota un-
III March l, ISIS was terminated on that
Gate, and 10 further suspension was made
All the suspended reserves are now subject
tO the laws governing forest reserves.
Increase in Appropriations.
In respect TO the needs of the survey, the
report says:
1T is desirable that there should be a
considerable increase in the appropriations