The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1909-11-05

70 keep pace with the expenditures return to the
government the entire cost of maintaining the forest
service. Private owners of grazing lands in the
regions ask and receive much higher return
mead OF stock for the of their than does the
forest service The national forests which contain
fifth of the standing merchantable timber in the coun
try furnished last about 13 per lumber
cut resulting In the removal from about
onee1ghth OF one per cent of the stand OF this
paratvely insignificant cut onefourh was not sold. but
was given to homebuilders and communities; yet the
sales brought in nearly 100000 the chief object of
the forests were to produce immediate income, the
amount received could be multiplied several times
1here 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 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
cost to the of about 30 cents thousand
feet, and the amount sold cannot be much increased
without increased appropriation. There is also the
waste of the productive of the Forest which
be brought into full play until the mature trees
been removed to make room for growing crop.
Most of the forest timber is beyond reach unless
heavy ontlays made to obtain Of ransporta-
ton. Such timber can be sold only to those who
mand large of capital and 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 is generally necessary go
slowly because Of the certainty of future requirements
In short the question of the timber that safely
wisely be sold Is local The fact that timber
rotting in the woods in distant regions will not help
communities which find their home supply exhausted
For these the sales OF national forest timber
carefully guarded. The amount of national forest
timber sold during the slightly 1856 900
feet, not much onethird the amount sold the
previous year. The falling off directly due to the
refsals to make large sales Under such sales the
tual cutting allowed to extend several years. The
timber cut and paid for during the year. how
ever than doubled the cut of the previous year.
with total of not quite 3930O0OO0 feet The receipts
from timber sales about $S5O,O0O against not
quite 100000 for the previous In addition there
was under free 100000 feet of timber
valued at about $4,000.
The timber lands of the west outside of the national
forests, mainly in strong hands Were the national
forest timber offered the market to purchaser,
the main 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 monoposts of timber lands. 1t on
the contrary, eevenh-hour hating Of the
monopoly complete. To permit the Of standing
timber to their stumpage intact while supply
ing their business needs through purchase from the
eminent would simply invite the boarding of private
further high prices, while the public supply
would be disposed Of without adequate return.
Under the timbersale policy in force both the
present and the future interests of the consumer are
borne In mind. The needs of those dependent the
forests supplied to the limit set by the OF
the region to maintain steady yield is recognized
also that the removal of mature timber to make room
the forests be put to work. Small sales are. how