Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Benton County, Or.) 1900-1909, 1905-12-05
FORESTS ON RESERVE.
Timber Sales Encouraged by
New Regulations.

One of the most fruitful of the
) newer reg ulations governing the
use of the products of the Nat
ional forest reserves is the pro-
vision which enables the small
user of timber to procure what he
needs promptly. Before this
provision was made every would
be- purchaser of timber, regardless
of the amount he desired, was
forced to wait for reference of his
application to Washington. The
formalities which attended this
arrangement under the law often
worked a real hardship, and tend
ed to discourage legitimate use of
reserve timber by small appli-
cants and sometimes to encourage
its illegitimate use by timber
users of all classes. 1t frequent
ly happened, for instance, that
applications were made for the
use of timber under the tree-use
privilege by those who were not
entitled to tree use, and small
users were generally inclined to
avoid dealing with the govern
ment on account of unavoidable
formalities.
Except in California, sales of
timber amounting to less than
one hundred dollars are now
made On the ground by the forest
officers without delay. In Calf
ornia, the advertisement required
by law is the only exception.
The purchasers is required only to
transmit the purchase price to the
special fiscal agent, at Washing
ton, and he may then remove the
timber. He is, of course, assign
ed timber which it is most desired
to dispose of, and is compelled,
like all other purchasers of tim
Der, 10 observe strictly the regula-
tions ofthe Forest Service, which
are fully explained to him by the
officer in charge of the sale.
There are a very large number of
persons who purchase timber in
small quantities, either for uses
not included in the tree-use priv
i1ege or for manufacturing at
local mills to supply the demands
of small agricultural commun-
tiles. The prompt, business-like
consideration which is assured
them has been welcomed by them
as boon. There are fifty appli-
cants for small quantities of tim.
Der to one applicant who requires
one million board feet or over.
This sort of small business is
constantly on the increase, both
absolutely and relatively to larger
business, and there can be but
little doubt that the regulations
on which it is based may be
counted among the chief causes
which have so much strengthen
ed the sentiment in favor of the
forest reserves and their admins
tration in the last monts. Rather
striking fact which has develop
ed is that simultaneously with the
increase of small timber sales
there has come relative decrease
IN the number of applications tol
free use. The legal barriers ir
the way of legitimate use of tim
ber by those who most need il
have been removed, and as con.
sequence it has become advanta-
geous for those using small guam.
titles of timber to buy it from the
Government.
The restrictions under which
the telling and hauling of logs is
done are as light as is consistan,
with the welfare of the forest
Just how important these restric.
tions are is becoming better ano
better understood, and purchasers
who have completed a contract tt
purchase under them have sough
and secured timber a second o,
third time, showing that loggins
methods which secure the safety
and reproduction of the forest are
nevertheless capable of strict OBJ
servance in practice without los
or material inconvenience to th'
operator.