East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1908-12-28
ON OREGON S
FOREST RESERVES
MANY PERMANENT
IMPROVEMENTS MADE
Miles of Roads and Trails, Telephone
Lines, Drift and Pasture Fences,
Houses and Barns Constructed
Many Square Miles of Territory
Opened Up for Better Use.

Washington, Dec. 2S.-Oregon has
Il natural interest in that part of the
report of the secretary of agriculture
/ which is devoted TO permanent inn
provements on the Governments ma
tional forests. Such work as the con-
struction of miles of road and trail,
telegraph lines, drift and pasture
fences, ranger houses and barns, has
opened up and improved many square
miles of territory in the thirteen ma
tional forests in the state. and for
these and similar purposes $55,19l.3 33
was spent during the last fiscal year.
Four hundred and thirty-seven
miles of trail and "a miles of road
were built, rs miles of telephone
lines were strung, and the forest
ranges were improved by the con-
struction of 80 miles Of pasture fence.
During the year 2S houses, to be used
for ranger quarters, and two barns
and two corrals, for rangers horses
were built. Four bridges wee con-
stucted and various miscellaneous i'm
provement work on all the national
forests, the secretary of agriculture has
the following to say in his annual re-
port.
THE agricultural appropriation act
of 1908 included an item of $500 600,
which was made available for per-
manent improvement work on the ma
tional forests. The object OF this
work is TO help open up the forests
to more use and provide means for
their better and more economical pro-
lection, through the supply of means
of communication and transportation,
well-located field quarters, five lines,
fences to assist in the handling Of
stock, and watering places. These
improvements are essentially invest
ments of capital, which add greatly
to the value and usefulness of the
forests.
"The work completed during the
year included S4OO miles of trails,
5000 miles of telephone line, 100 miles
of wagon road, 40 miles of pasture
and drift fences. In addition to the
sum provided by the special improve
ment fund, over 100000 from the
general fund of the service was turn
ed from current expenses to defray
the cost of this work, but much of
the work planned and urgently need |
ed could not be carried out because
there was nothing with which to pay
for it,
Detailed estimates covering a to-
tai of 100000 for permanent i'm
which it was desired to
complete in 1909, were submitted to
the congress. They showed for the
entire amount exactly what it was
to undertake on each nation
Il forest, and at what cost. The
amount provided by the appropriation
vas 100000. For 1910 estimates will
lgain be submitted for permanent i'm
the cost of which aggre-
'ate $s74,9S1. These estimates are
he result of specific and fully item
zed plans which are on file in the
orest service. They are in no sense
request for lump sum, the spend
ng of which remains to be planned
n detail after appropriation is made.
t is of urgent importance that this
work. should be provided for.
Though the construction Of per-
Danent Improvements entails the need
# provision for their maintenance, the
dded efficiency of the forests as
economic resources secured through 9
hese improvements richly repays the
ost. With the national forests as !
With any other resources, their returns
epend on the extent to which devel.
pment takes place through judicious c
utlays Of capital. If the land is not |
0 remain a wilderness it must be
made serviceable to the needs of civ t
lied man by constructive expendi- '
ures. i