The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-01-13
BY r. e. BENEDICT.
Chief Inspector of the Fourth Forest
District.

The radical change from practically
unrestricted enjoyment of the range
and timber on the public domain to the
control and regulation now exercised
by the government on those portions
which have been placed i'm the national
forests could not fail to result in very
large amount of opposition on the part
of the western people. 1t is remarkable
that there has not been more.
But the conditions which led to the
establishment of the national forests
namely, the annual destruction OF bill
lions of feet of valuable timber, the
acquisition of vast tracts of timber
land by the big lumber companies, the
rapid deterioration i'm the range result
ing from overstOcking it. and the ser
ious effect of the denudatiOn and over
grazing of important watersheds on the
water supply, as shown by the larger
spring and smaller summer flow of wa
ter in the streams, had already con-
WINGED thinking people in the west that
some sort of control and protection was
necessary and these heartily approved
of the federal forest policy.
AS the management of the forests has
become more practical and efficient and
the beneficial results more evident, the
policy gained the hearty support of
almost All the people htleilueNl Oh a
forest or in any way affected by its
administration, and l believe / am safe
in saying that at the present time there
is no one who is thoroughly familiar
with the question, outside of the big
timber companies and the very large
stockmen, who is not convinced of the
wisdom of the policy. provided, of
course, that the forests are given a
practical administration, without favor
itisnf and with fun consideration Of
local conditions.
Salt Lake Reserve.
For example. l have never met any
one who did not cree that the creation
of the Salt Lake forest here, covering
the watersheds OF the streams supply
ing the city has not proved wise &C
tion. The main object of this forest is
the protection of tie city water supply
and Mr.. Kelsey, the city engineer, tells
me that since its creation the flow of
the streams has materially increased
and the quality wonderfully improved
Any one who has noticed the heavy
growth OF grass and other vegetation
which now covers the City Greek wa
tershed and who has seen the bare
slopes of the mountains where grazing
is not prohibited VIII understand why
this is so.
Besides the opposition 10 national for
ests of the big timber companies and
large stockmen, who really cannot be
greatly blamed. since they are only
looking out for their own interests,
there are many men who consider that
the forest policy is opposed to the con-
stitution and the principles and tradi-
tions of our government, and ignores
the right of the state, since the crea-
ton of a forest practically takes from
the state so much land. To these argu-
ments l can only reply that all of the
eastern states which possessed any tim
Der lands would have been richer to-
day by almost unbelievable sums had
their timber lands been reserved.
In Other States.
New York has found il necessary, in
order TO protect its timber and the Hud-
son watershed, TO establish forest re-
serves containing about 1900, 600 acres,
and to do 50 it had to pay from s. to
500 per acre. Pennsylvania is actively
buying forest lands to form a great
system of state forests and already $780,
600 acres have been acquired for the
purpose. Wisconsin has 254 900 acres,
Minnesota 42,SeO acres in state reserves:
Connecticut. New Jersey and Indiana
are also buying back lands which
should have been retained from the be-
ginning The conditions in the pine re-
gions of Michigan. Wisconsin and Min !
nesota may also be cited of what has !