The Alamogordo news. (Alamogordo, N.M.) 1899-1912, 1910-04-28
NATIONAL FOREST ELM.
nations EXPLAINED
Non-Timbered Lands withdrawn
in Large Quantities
Department Bulletin Erplains the si'ua.
ton Fully

Washington. ID. c.. April
The protests which have been re-.
reiyeI ~ considerable number
by the { \. Department of
Agrirulturr against eliminating
from National FORESTS non.timb
cred lands chiefly valuable for
grazing are ~ tarded by Secretary
Wilson a, indicating that many
communities lali tG realize the
limitations WITHIN which the
Dt'pari neut must act ~ carry iug
out faithfully the intent uf exist.
ng avs. Mo>t 81 the protests
set forth the injury which It y,
feared may result frnm uuregn-
lated grazing on the land To- br ell-
mated. since. however, the
lands which II /. proposed t. ell
inmate are neither fors-ted now
ulr regarded u suitable fer the
future gruwing of trees. the Gov
trument has 40 authority ~ hold
them a. parts of the National
Forests after their actual charac-
ter la, been determined.
The p,licy to b. pursued with
regard Ia such lands wa> recently
agreed upon hy the Secretary Of
Agriculture and Secretary of the
Interior jointly aud laid before
the President. who gave it his
approval. THIS policy is not all
Innovation bnt IS the same poll
Icy whlck has always been ap
pied by the Forest Service III
deciding where NationaI Forest
boundaries should be drawn.
The rea>un why lands formerly
included in National Forests are
now be,ng eliminated is to be
found not III q change of policy,
but in the fact that the actual
conditions were ascertained last
year, for the first time, through
careful boundary examinations.
rhe evils feared 10y those who
are now making protest against
the exclusion uf the lands III
question are usually Of two
Kinds. In many places residents
tiud themselves liHely tO suffer
from an invasion of the range by
outsiders. Ii the grazing is un-
controlled, transient stock may
not only eat up the forage but also
depIeIe the range through o er.
grazing, tO the loss AM even the
eventual ruin OF the local stock
Juners. Although Secretary
Wills III recognizes that this may
be the case, he has pointed out
20 those who make this argument
that Government cOnt:Ol nf lands
valuable only for grazing was not
contemplated by the laws autho'
orizing the creation 0f Nationa
Forests, except as far as is neces
sary TO secure practical admins
trative boundaries.
Another ground Of protesI
against the eliminatiOns il
| that administration 10y thu
Department of Agriculture hau
already resulted in great impove
ment tn the water finw, or tina
unregulated grazing will resul
in polluted streams or seri0u
damage tn watersheds. In som,
cases the increase in water supply
which has followed Nati0na
Forest administration is put a
high as % per cent. To thos,
" ho make this point Secretar!
Wilson Is replying that ever
effort has been made to Safeguard
water supplies; that the elimina
tlons propnsed are only alunI
the borders Of the Forests, an'
the protection of water flow j
recognized as q legitimate rea
sun for r,taining brushland eveI
though il is not likely ever (.
grow timber Of commercial value
II is not denied that in SOM
cases the elimination of purel.
grazing lands may possibly resul
in q certain amount Of strean
pollution, but the Department
Of Agriculture holds il has n
authority TO try 70 prevent thi
through National Forest admin
stratien Of such lands. In th'
main IL is believed that the inter
ests of water-users have bee
we'll cared for in making th
eliminations.