Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1908-08-11

Field Headquarters 70 BE Rstahliahed
and Other ImpEovements Made.

and Other improvements Made.
WASHINGTON. d. c., Aug. H.
Plans FOR the forest service neld
headquarters which are soon % be
established fn the west are being
rapidly: worked ont ln sssail. BACH
headquarters will h. modalsd aftsF
the Washington once. In all there
viii be ak distrinr dauaStaEas one
located at each Of the present int
spectien district headQuarters Ports
land, San Francisco, Albuquerque
Salt Lake, Denver, and Missoulat
Mont, or some other points equally
well or better located for the pur4
pose.
At the head of each ONCE there
will be q district forester and an
assistant district forester. Under
these win be experts, ip charge Of
the various lines OF work. A chief
of grazing will have charge OF range
matters. A chief OF products will
handle the preservative treatment of
timber and strength tests and study
market conditions. A chief of lands
will look after such matters as land
examinations. The once of lands
deals with questions involving the.
validity of claims asserted under the
public lands laws; applications for
special use of the resources Of the
national forests; changes In bound
aries OF forests, and the examination
of lands applied for under the Act
of June IL, 1905, for agricultural
settlement
The forest service, however, never
passes on the titles themselves. That
is entirely a matter for the general
land Office to decide, In case Of
applications for homesteads under the
Act of June IL, 1906, the forest
service is called upon to decide
whether the land is in fact more
valuable for agriculture than for
timber, and II it is, to recommend
its listing as open to entry and pat
ent. In the case Of claims the SER
vice ascertains whether any facts ex-
list which seem to show that the
claim Is not legal one, in order
that national forest land may not
be unlawfully taken up. But 1t
rests always with the land Office of
the interior department to decide
whether the title should or should
not be granted. The branch'of lands
in the district forest service organi-
cation does not mean any new as
sumption OF land business.
There will also be In each district
a chief Of silviculture, who will
have charge OF timber sales, plant
ing, and silvical experiments, and a
chief OF operation. The latter will
supervise the personnel of the for
ests; the permanent Improvement
work, through an engineer In charge;
the accounts Of the district, including
receipts, disbursements, and book
keeping, which will be directly sup
ervised by an expert accountant; and
the routine business of the district
In each of the lines of work the
management will be in the hands of
a man who is a specialist and who
has had thorough experience both In
the west and in Washington. The
foresters and clerks at each head
quarters will number about fifty.
The establishment of these field
districts will bring the service into
more immediate touch with the pub
lie. 1t is merely the completion Of
the movement, started sometime ago,
to have the forests administered as
far as possible by men actually on the
ground.
The change will not affect the In
yestigative work of the service, which
will center, as hitherto. in Washing
ton. Mr.. Pinchot is expected soon
to name the men who will fill the
various positions.