Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1909-11-04
N5ZRlBWWNo PD4RH-D DOC 0 ZNR AMGES

TO Keep pace with the expenditures, but to return to the
government the entire cost of maintaining the forest
service. Private owners of grazing lands in the same
regions ask and receive a very much higher return per
head of stock for the use of their lands than does the
forest service. The national forests, which contain one
NTH OF the standing merchantable timber in the coun-
try, furnished last year about 1a3 per cent. of its lumber
cut, resulting in the removal from the forests of about
oneeighth of one per cent. of the stand. OF this com
paratlvely insignificant cut, one-fourth was not sold, but
was given to home-builders and communities; yet the
sales brought in nearly 100000. If the chief object of
the forests were to produce immediate income, the
amount received could be multiplied several times.
There is actually going to waste in the woods each
year, through decay and other natural causes, from five
to ten times the amount of timber now being cut.
With an adequate force of forest officers available
much OF this waste might be prevented. Timber sales
involve, for marking, scaling and supervising the work,
a cost TO the government of about 30 cents per thousand
feet, and the amount sold cannot be much increased
without an increased appropriation. There is also the
waste of the productive power of the forest, which can
not be brought into full play until the mature trees have
been removed to make room for a growing crop.
Most Of the forest timber is beyond reach unless
heavy OUTLAWS are made to obtain means of transporta-
ton. Such timber can be sold only to those who COM
mand large resources of capital, and even then only at
a relatively low price. On the other hand, where the
demand for the timber is good and competition for its
purchase fairly brisk, it is generally necessary to go
slowly because Of the certainty Of future requirements.
In short, the question of the timber that can safely or
wisely be sold is a local one. The fact that timber is
rotting in the woods in distant regions win not help
communities which find their home supply exhausted.
For these reasons the sales of national forest timber
are carefully guarded. The amount OF national forest
timber sold during the year was slightly over 1886, 900, 900
feet, or not much over one-third the amount sold the
previous year. The falling off was directly due to the
Tefusals to make large sales. Under such sales the &C.
tual cutting is allowed to extend over several years. The
amount Of timber cut and paid for during the year, how
ever, more than doubled the cut of the previous year,
with a total Of not quite 1893. 900, 900 feet. The receipts
from timber sales were about $85O,0O0, as against not
quite $67O,O00 for the previous year. In addition there
was cut under free use over 10000, 600 feet OF timber,
valued at about $4,000.
The timber lands of the west, outside of the national
forests, are mainly In strong hands. We're the national
forest timber offered on the market to every purchaser,
the main scene of western numbering would be quickly
shifted to the public holdings. 1t is sometimes asserted
that the creation of the national forests has played into
the hands Of monopolists of timber lands. 1t was, on
the contrary, an eleventh-hour hating of the process
which would have made the hold o~btainable by such a
monopoly complete. To permit the owners of standing
timber to preserve their stumpage intact while supply
ing their business needs through purchase from the gov
eminent would simply invite the boarding of private
timber for further high prices, while the public supply
would be disposed Of without an adequate return.
Under the timber-sale policy now in force both the
present and the future interests Of the consumer are
borne in mind. The needs Of those dependent on the
forests are supplied up to the limit set by the power of
the region to maintain a steady yield. 1t Is recognized,
also, that the removal Of mature timber to make room
for a new and growing crop Is the only way by which
the forests can be put to work. Small sales are. how