The Daily Missoulian., 1909-05-12
WILL ESTABLISH NEW
BOUNDARIES
FOREST OFFICIALS TO SEGRE-
GATE AGRICULTURAL LANDS
ON NATIONAL FORESTS.

| Through. the esta Adjustment of six
district headquarters in the ives tthe
work of the forest service has ad-
| vanced so far that it is now possible
| to undertake a thorough going cxami-
nation of the national forest boundaries
| and an inquiry into the character of
| any interior areas which may appear
| to be not suitable for national for
| est purposes. In a letter to the district
forester in this city. Forester Pinchot
says: i.~
| "Pians formulated here last winter
| and approved by the secretary of ag
riculture call for systematic and
complete going over of all national
forest boundaries during the present
| field season. The work which you have
been constantly doing in this direc-'
| ton is along the right lines, but the
| plan adopted calls for more concen-
trated effort in this work throughout
| the service during the coming sum-
ner. With the field force at your
command and your close knowledge of
| local conditions and of the national
| forest officers, you can so organize
this effort in your district as to insure
a thorough going over of your part of
| the 10000 miles Of national forest
| boundaries by competent men, whose
| reports as to the character of the land
within and without the forests and
whose recommendations as to lands
which should be excluded or included.
checked by the information already
| possessed by the forest service, can
| be relied on.
'"To do this work in one summer
will make severe demands on you, but
| it is not beyond the capacity of the
| service, as now organized. Please
| give it your best efforts until the
| work is completed, and bear i'll mind
| especially that the quality of the work
must be unimpeachable.
'"This work should all be completed
by the close of the present field sea-
son, and each district forester should
at that time be able to Vouch for
| the correctness of the proposed boun-
daries of his forests. If, however,
there are changes recommended by
examiners which you feel are ques-
| tionable, such cases may go over for
| checking until the next field season,
| in order that no mistakes may be
made. Possible additions should be
noted as carefully in the six states
where congressional action is neces
sary to create additions to forests as
| elsewhere.
"As you know, the policy Of the
service has always been to exclude
| from the boundaries of q national for
est all agricultural land, except, as
congress clearly intended, areas 50
small that they could be handled
more acceptably under the act Of June
| IT, 1906 We want all the land put to
its best use, Whatever that use may
Lhe,s A good deal of time and money
has been spent by the service in this
| most important work. / believe,
! however, tina, there is still land whicl
would serve the public interest best
| outside of national forests and which
could therefore be excluded TO the
| public advantage. | believe, zoo, that
adjoining many of the forests are
areas which, because Of the value Of
| the timber they support, their inn
portance under a proper forest cover
| for watershed protection, or because
| the best public use of the existing
| forest can be brought about only
| through their inclusion, should be
| added to the national forests.
I'm considering changes of boundary
| the character of the land and it's
future usefulness for forest or agri-
cultural purposes, the protection that
| it may give to watersheds at the head
| of streams from which towns, cities,
and irrigation projects draw their sup
ply, areas which need reforestation,
1 y Is ,,1,v Yt11
| from the standpoint of the public vel
fare generally, should all be carefully
considered. Whenever a change OF
boundary is recommended the reason
| for it should be plainly shown When
| the proper boundary of the forest
| does not conform to the exterior
limits of the timbered areas the rea-
son should be given plainly.
| 'In accordance with the usual prac-
| tice, every effort should be made to
| learn the wishes Of citizens as to
| what lands should be excluded or in
cluded. IT areas are proposed for nd
clifton Or elimination at the request
of citizens, their petitions should
form part of the reasons for Ine
change in boundaries. Petitions which
nave contributed TO tae establishment
of the present boundaries should,
v.len practicable, b, submitted as
part of the record.
For this work you will need to use
your very best available help. The
organization of the work is, of course,
in your hands.
Existing and proposed boundaries,
and all land and cover classificatlons
should always be shown on maps,
supported by reports. SO far as pos
sble, the forest service atlas, folios
should be used as the base maps. The
publication of these foios is being
pushed forward as rapidly as possible
BY the first of August nearly all oi
them will be in your hands. Where
ii is possible TO get them to you at g
considerably earlier date by leaving
out the classification and simply send
ing you the blank. copies this will be
done. N@e
TN addition to having every bound
| ary line carefully gone over. | want
you to consider whether you have an!
considerable areas of agricultural lanf