Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1899-01-14
USTER CITY, SOUTH DAKOTA. SATURDAY
Dead Wood Free of Charge.

c. w. Green, special agent of the
United States land Office, while in Dead
wood few days ago, gave to a reporter
Of the Pioneer Times some information
in regard to the Black Hills forest re.
servation which will be of benefit to
many of our local readers, and from
which we clip the following:
"There is not stick OF timber in the
Black Hills that is not needed right here
for the legimate use of the people who
live here. That is the purpose of this
reserve and the regulations that are in
force at the present time. The object
of the government has been to stop
building towns in Nebraska and Wyom-
ing with Black Hills timber and to pre-
serve this timber for building towns and
mills at home, and for timbering mines
in the Black ILLS, and the plan is sue
ceeding splendidy, said Mr.. Green.
Mr. Green was in Deadwood Satur-
day on his way to his home in Rapid
City after detour of the Black HiIls
forest reserve. He expressed the great
est satisfaction over the way the new
regulations of the government were be-
ing enforced, and he paid special COM
pliment to the ability displayed by Ii.
q. amaker, supervisor of the reserve,
as shown by the results that he had ac-
complished during the four months that
he had been stationed in the Hills Mr.
Green said that not less than half mil
lion cords of dead and fallen timber had
been worked up into fuel since the re-
serve order went into operation, and he
considers that it never would have been
touched otherwise. During his recent
trip over the wooded portion Of the
Hills, Mr.. Green saw fully a quarter of
million cords Of wood stacked up hat
had been cut from this dead and fallen
timber and still the good work goes on.
He says it is great benefit to the coun
try to get rid Of this timber, and while
it is being utilized, the green and small
timber is being preserved and permitted
to grow and mature.
"No little difficulty was experienced
at first in getting this rule into effect.
Wood choppers insisted they could not
find a market for wood cut from fallen
timber, and that it must be cut green
and dried. Mr.. Green favored iron cad
rules in this respect, and at first recon.
mended to the department tn It the gov
ernment charge dollar a cord for green
wood, in order to make it prohibitive to
cut that class Of wood. and that the
choppers be permitted to take as much
Of the dead and fallen timber as they
desired. without charge. The depart
ment did not fix the prohibitive price
upon the green timber, but it did make
it a great object to wood choppers to take
the fallen timber and thereby cleanup
the forests Of the Black Hills by allow.
ing them to take all they wanted of it
free. They must make application for
it to the supervisor. in the regular form
prescribed by the department. stating
what it is for, where it is to be used,
and where it is situated.
$50 long as the apartment regulation
regarding the use Of he timber in the
Black Hills is complied with woodmen
will not suffer any interference at the
hands OF the government or its agents,
and the country will not experience any
distress on account OF not having suf-
ticient timber with which to supply its
homes and develop its resources. A
halt has been called to the discriminate
destruction Of the Black Hills forests in
order to supply lumber for the markets
in other states, and Mr.. Green remark
ed that the people of the Hills would
shortly begin to realize the benefit it
was bringing to this section"