The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1907-04-27
MANAGEMENT
OF NATIONAL
FORESTS SURE
Uncle Sam Has a "Sys' en-" by
Which Our Forests Will be
Preserved.
HAS A SECTION
OF PRIVILEGES
A Surprising Number Of Activities
Are Carried on by This
Department.

Associated Press to The Evening Times.
Washington, D. c., 27.-One of the
busiest rooms in the Forest Service
at Washington is devoted to the work
OF the so-called Section Privileges.
1t Is there that hundreds of applica-
tons are received from these who
wish to enjoy the many different oc-
equations and pursuits that offer
pleasure or profit in the National
Forests. A surprising number of ac-
Invites are carried On in the National
Forests. where the many natural adj
vantages are made more valuable by
the protection given by the ranger
force.
To understand the work of the office
of privileges one must have a clear
Idea of the general policy of the
government toward the National For
ests. This policy may be briefly sum-
married in two. words-use and de-
velopment; that is complete protec-
ton from injury by fire and trespass
and complete and increasing utiliza-
ton of all forest resources. great
and small.
First in Importance in some states
are the timber and water of the
forests; in other states the grazing
and the water; in other states the
water. To secure proper control and
protection of the National Forests the
user who wishes to obtain wood,
Craze stock, or occupy land in them
is required to apply to the Forest
officers and obtain permit. The
only Alternative to such a course would
be to make the forests commons, or
no mans land. where each would
scramble to get as much immediate
benefit as possible for himself and
the permanent productive power of
the land would be abused and per-
haps finally lost altogether. The is
suing of these permits gives the re-
ciptient, of course, a privilege; but
the business which arises in handling
the use of timber and grazing does
not form a part of that which falls
to the section of privileges. This is
true also of the listing of all agricul-
tural lands within National Forests
which applicants desire to settle under
the Homestead laws, as any one with
Il homestead right may now do. under
the act of June IL. 1906. in all the Ma
ticnal Forests except in certain coun-
ties of California. The effect of that
law is shown in the fact that since
it was passed about 3,100 applica-
tons of this class have been received
and about $4,000 acres have already
been recommended by the Eoresters
for listing.
But there Is great variety of
ether uses not belonging to amy of
these oassesT and these are dealt
with by the section of privileges. 1t
may be that some one who desires to
take out an agricultural claim would
rather not wait suntil the necessary
fOrmalties Of law have been complied
with before using the land for which
he has applied. In such case, where
there is no impeachment save the
necessary delay in formally opening
the lands to entry, he is given a permit
which entities him to live upon the
land and cultivate it at once. Again
there may be a strip OF tillable land
which some one would like to cultivate
without taking title, and privileges
of this sort are granted also In the
counties in California which do not
come under the law of June IL this
is the only way in which use can be
made of such scattered and irregular
strips of agricultural land as are of
necessity found within the National
Forest borders.
In connection with grazing. for
which permits are handled by a
separate Office. the section of privil-
eyes Is especially busy granting APP
plications for the use of pastures for
saddle horses used by the herders
and for gathering the stock at the end