Wallowa County chieftain. [volume] (Enterprise, Or.) 1909-1911, 1910-03-10
Move To Correct
Forest Boundaries
Plan to Return Four Million Acres
Of Forest Reserve to Home
stead Entry.

Washington, D. c., March 2.-The
examination Of National Forest boun-
1aries carried on by the Forest Of
ficers last summer and fall upon the
Initiative of Secretary Wilson and
under his direction, has resulted in
new information, which will make
it possible to restore to the unre-
served public domain much land
along the edges of and within for
ests that is not best suited to for
est purposes. This is to be done
under plan just approved by Pres
ident Taft. The plan was formula
ted by Secretary Wilson and Secre-
tary Ballinger jointly and submitted
TO the President in the following let
ter:
Feb. Z, 1910.
The President, The White House.
Sir:-After having very carefully
considered the matter Of eliminations
from and additions to the National
Forests, we respectfully recommend
that the following general policy be
adopted.
1. Lands wholly or in part COW
cred with brush or other under
growth which protects streamflow
or checks erosion on the watershed
Of any stream important to irriga-
'iol or to the water supply Of any
city. town, or community, or open
lands on which trees may be grown,
should be retained within the Nation
al Forests, unless their permanent
value under cultivation is greater
than their value as a protective for
est.
2. Lands wholly or in part
covered with timber or underground,
Or cut-over lands which are more
valuable for the production of
trees than for agricultural crops,
and lands densely stocked with young
| trees having a prospective value
greater than the value of the land
for agricultural purposes, should be
retained within the National Forests.
8. Lands not either wholly or In
part covered with timber or under
growth, which are located above tim
ber line within the Forest bounda-
airy or in small bodies scattered
through the Forest, making elimina-
ton impracticable, or limited areas
which are necessarily included for
proper administrative boundary line,
| should be retained within the Nation
al Forests.
4. Lands not either wholly or in
| part covered with timber or under
growth, except as provided for in
the preceding paragraphs, upon
which it is not expected to grow
| trees, should be eliminated from the
National Forests
(Signed) James Wilson, Secretary
of Agriculture, and R. A. Ballinger,
Secretary of the Interior.
A definition of the lines along
which action should be taken was
called for by the fact that reports
and maps are now in possession of
the Department of Agriculture which
show the character of the lands and
the cover along the lines of the
National Forest boundaries. The
purpose of the department in secur-
| ing the information was to make
possible a correction of the bound
aries on the principles now approx
ed by the President, for 1t has nev-
er been intended that the National
Forests should include agricultural
land or grazing land not suitable
for forest purposes. Plans for gath
ering the data were drawn up un-
der Secretary Wilson's direction a
year ago, and instructions for 60
ing over the 10000 miles of boun-
daries were issued to the Nation
al Forest officers last May. AS a
result the boundaries can now be
more carefully corrected than has
ever before been possible.
On the whole the changes which
are found to be called for are of
relatively minor importance, but in
their aggregate they open to settle
ment large amount of land. The
application of the rules which the
President has approved will mean
the early restoration to the public
domain of 100000 acres or more of
National forest land. This is some
thing over 2 per cent of the total
National Forest area. Three-tenths
of the forests have yet to be map
ped.