The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-07-28
How to Use the National Forests.

A little primer which seems to be the
composition Of the Hon. CLIFFORD PIN
CHoT, Forester, has just been issued by
the United States Department Of Agri.
culture to enlighten the people upon
the origin, extent and uses of the national
forests, about which there exists honest
misunderstanding as well as benighted
ignorance.
In a foreword @To the Public Mr..
PINcHoT says that the national forests
concern all the people OF the West, and
indeed Of the whole country" and par
ticularly many great business interests
Sometimes one is inclined to think from
the clamor raised by some of the business
interests affected that the conservation
and management of the forests concerns
them more than the people. Blunders
may be made in the administration, and
private rights no doubt are occasionally
invaded in an excess of zeal, but when
we consider that the peoples rights in
their domain have often been overriden
by strained constructions of the law and
violated by downright defiance of it, the
national Administration should always
have the benefit of the doubt.
1t is not strange that the people are
unaware of their rights in the national
forests, for they date back only to 1891,
when by act of Congress the first forest.
the Yellowstone, was created because the
timber resources of the country about
the headwaters Of It's great rivers were
being rapidly destroyed by fire and
greed. Other tracts were reserved year
by year, until o no less than li5, 0OO, 900
acres Of land covered with woods or
suitable for necessary tree growing have
been saved from waste. A great blunder
was made at the start by reserving with
out preserving or allowing rational use
to be made Of the forests; that is TO say,
Congress made no regulations for guard
ing the forests from fire or for throwing
them open to the husbandman and miner;
they were simply locked up. In 1897 this
error was corrected and the people came
into their own. Another blunder was
the failure to ascertain and fix boun-
Diary lines; thorough surveys cured that
defect, however. There is an impress
sion in some quarters. which enemies Of
the system have seduously fostered, that
the homeseeker is shut out when land is
reserved for a national forest; but the
fact is that it is not the intent Of the
various acts to include agricultural lands,
and when they occur in the heart Of a
reserve the homestead laws apply. On
this point Mr.. PINCHoT says:
The homeseeker can travel all through q forest,
pick out the agricultural land he wants for q home,
apply for II, have It listed. settle upon Il when listed.
enter H.. build his home, cultivate his fields, patent
n. and spend the rest OF his days there. The only
thing he must be careful about Is to obey the law
and take tho land for a homo and not for other
purposes.'
Nor are the prospector and miner shut
out: they 60 on just as il there we're no
national forest there" They can stake
out claims and list and work them; the
only care they need have is TO obey the
law. To quote Mr.. PNcHoT again
-prn@nccting and mining arc absolutely un-
ehcck.d. The resources OF the national forests mus,
be used and the country opened up. Therefore
the more mining and prospecting the better"
And the timber, grass and water are
there to be used as well az the cultivable
soil and the minerals. As TO the timber,
when wanted it is sold. or supposed to
be sold, TO the first conner, from q few
thousand to a million feet, the Secretary
Of Agriculture being the judge Of the
expectancy Of the sale. Nine-tenths Of
tho WOOD sold goes to the small nan.
A TO Tho grazier, there are now 100000