The Mena weekly star., 1909-11-18
NATIONAL FORESTS
 IN ARKANSAS
Conditions Peculiar to This State Studied by Forestry Officials and Regulations Made to Meet
 Them.

of the Arkansas Forest, has taken an active part in the study of To- cal conditions as pertaining to the Forests in the state, and has helped to bring abcu. changes in the regulations to meet these con- ditions.
 The following is from a recent circular treating along these lines:
 Arkansas is one of the few states which still have large areas of virgin timber land. The two National Forests in Arkansas tae Ozark with an area of 1920 +Sl acres, were created in order that the timber on part of this area might be conserved. Most of the Western and few of the Eas ern States have National Forests, which, including Alaska, now comprise almost 20c, 1000, GOO
 cres.
 The policy Of the government i the administration of the Ma .ional Forests may be summed up in the expression. "The greatest good to the greatest number" !" The result is the fullest perma- neut bent fl to all the people of the longest possible time, instead of temporary benefit 10 few of ttc u at the future expense of all.
 Acts of congress give to the Secretary of Agriculture the right to presc 'ibe regulations under which they shall be administered. Since many of these regulations are made to fit local conditions, the regulations which apply to the Forest in Arkansas differ from those in effect on the Vest ern Foress, because there is enough difference in conditions to warrant special attention to the needs in Arkansas. But the only changes are those made necessary by local conditions and which the best good of all the people rec quires.
 People residing in or very near the Forest, who own not more than g head of cattle or horses, or an equivalent in hogs or sheep and goats-in the ratio of hogs or 3 sheep or goats for l COW or horsc-may graze their stock free of charge. A further allowance will be made by Supervisors when the permittee owns unfenced pat ented land within the Forest. Nouresidents who do not own or lease land within Forest will be required to pay grazing fees and will not be allowed on the Forest where the range is already fully stocked.
 One of the duties of the Forest Service is to protect National For ests from fire. Long experience on the part of private forest own CTS throughout the South has shown that the range is not bene- fitted by annual or repeated burning. The roots of tle grass cs are injured and the fertility of the soil is gradually destroyed. Old residents of the forests in Ar kansas state that the range was much better before burning was begun than It is now. Forest fires do great deal of damage to the timber even though the coun- try is burned over every year and there IS little chance for litter to accumulate. Trees are scared and rot enters; young trees are destroyed, and when the old tim. Der is removed there will be noth- ing to replace 1t. As a result of repeated burning large amount ci timber is now defective. Many of the kinds of trees which have teen injured are of little value at the present time, but these will become valuable in the future when the supply of those now valuable is exhausted. Accord ingly, the prevention of fires will mean a gain to the people. the counties, and the state, because of the production of greater amounts and better quality oi timber, and # Is to the best in- terest ot everyone to do all in his power to assist Forest officers in fire protection.
 According to the Bureau of Animal Industry of the United States Departmental Agriculture, the Texas fever tick can not be removed from the range by burn ing, and the practice of burning pastures and wooded areas to ex- terminate the tick is not advocat- ed by that bureau. Old residents n the Arkansas forests state that before the custom of an an- nual burning of the woods was first started the forests were much moro opeu than at the present time. Fire increases the number of sprouts and, after 1t is once be- gun, continual burning IS neces- sary to keep the woods open. IL fires are prevented the woods will