The Lewiston teller. (Lewiston, Idaho) 1900-1905, 1902-12-30
FOREST RESERVE POLICY
t. A. Fem. Superintendent Of Idaho Forest
Reserves Discusses the Policy Of the Depart.
ment In Creating and Maintaining Reservations

os~Sss~SS
ment In Creating and Maintaining Reservations
+. A. Fem superintendent of the
forest reserves of Idaho and Montana was
in the city last night from Stuart, his
official headquarters. He has but re-
Gently returned from Montana where he
spent most of the season experimenting
the forest reserve work on the reserva.
tions within that state. III I laho aud
Montana Superintendent Fem looks
after the work on nine forest reservations.
There are seven in Montana and the
lands embraced include over 10000 900
acres of forests. In Idaho are the Bitter
Root and Priest river reservations. The
former includes 5000, 900 acres and the
latter some what less. In several of the
reservations the work is only just begin
ing and Supt. Fenn's work for the past
year was in the organization Of the forces.
He had under his supervision last season
I9o men employed and is rather proud of
the fact that by the efficiency of the SER
vice there was no serious fire in either
the Idaho or the the Montana reserva-
tions during the past year. The force is
greatest in the summer when the fire
patrol are in service during the winter
only 80 men are in the service.
Superintendent Fem is q warm sup.
porter of the movement for creating
other forest reserves in Idaho. "Instead
Of being detriment to the people Of
Idaho,' said Mr.. Fem, "it is a decided
benefit. Take for instance the lands to
be included in the new forest reserve in
Idaho county. The lands included are
not agricultural. They are purely miner
al land, and time has shown that the
forest reserve policy is not inimical to the
mining industry The prospector and
miner can secure free permit to use the
timber on forest reserves for use in his
mining operations, and furthermore for
individual use any citizen of Idaho
can get all the timber he needs by ap-
plying to the forest reserve supervisors.
Any farmer can get posts and rails for
his fencing or ERE wood for his family
free for the asking. Corporations can
get what they want by paying the
minimum price of about Fl 90 per thous-
and for saw timber and IS to IS cents per
card for FIRE wood. This must be taken
under the supervision of the supervisor
and only the mature timber used. All
waste must be cleared up the applicant.
The policy of the government is to pre-
serve the forests in the state Of highest
continued production for the benefit of
the people of the state in which the re-
serve is situated
"In Idaho in the past season was a
practical illustration Of the benefits of
the forest reserve policy. There were
many 6res in the Thunder Mountain re-
gion during the past season. Our ere
guards viewing the country from Mount
McGrauder could see thousands Of acres
going up in smoke in the vast forest areas
about Thunder Mountain and looking
from the same point not fire was seen
in the confines of the Bitter Root reserve.
The proposed new forest reserve will
take in the Thunder mountain area and
will preserve what is now being destroy
ed by reckless waste. Indeed. in my
opinion, the proposed areas ought to be
enlarged to take in all the headwaters
of streams that supply irrigation for the
irrigationist has 40 better safeguard than
the policy that preserves his water shed
by preventing the denuding Of the
forests"