The Colorado statesman., 1914-01-31
BIG TIMBER OUTPUT
Policy of the Forest Service Is
Summarized.
A Large Number of National Forests
Already More Than Pay Operating
Expenses-Its Aims Are Told
in Report of Forester.


ing to the annual report of Henry 3
Graves, forester. This is an increase
of 167 per cent over the sales OF the
preceding year The timber sold was
largely for future cutting under con
tracts that will run for a number OF
years. The actual cut was little less
than SOC, 100000 board feet, an IN
crease of Is per cent over l9lZ. sui
larger sales are in prospect.
The timber sale policy of the forest
service is summarized as aiming hrst
of all to prevent losses by fire, and
secondly to utilize the ripe timber
which can be marketed. Other aims
are: To cut so as to insure restock-
ing and forest permanence; to get
the full market value for the TIMBER
sold; to prevent speculative acqulsl-
ton and private monopoly OF puphc
timber and to maintain competitive
conditions in the lumber industry 80
far as possible; to provide hrst lor
the needs of local communities ana
industries; to open lands of agricul-
tural value to settlement without al
lowing them to be tied up by timber
SDcCuldlOTS,
soon as possible the cost of produc-
ton and administration to the gov
ernment and a revenue to the national
forest states, to which go 25 per cent
of all receipts.
A large number of national forests
already more than pay operating ex-
penses. The revenue from the Alas
kan forests now exceeds the cost oil
administration. The same is true gen
orally in the southwest.
The forage resources of the national
forests are pointed out as contributing
to the maintenance of over twenty
million head of livestock, which sup
ply in part at least the demands for
meat, hides, or wool of every state in
the union. The receipts from graz
ing during 1913, though second to
those from timber were more than
million dollars, and showed an In
crease over the previous year in spite
of the fact that the season was less
favorable and the area reduced. over
per cent more stock was grazed as
the result of increased forage produc-
ton and improvements in handling
StocR, especially sneep'
The system of range management
employed by the forest service is held
to offer hope of relief to the average
citizen concerned over the dwindling
supply of meat products and their
alarming rise in cost. The national
forests furnish abundant forage sup
plies, opportunity for the adoption or
the best methods, freedom from live
stock diseases. and protection in the
enjoyment of all rights and privileges,
Cattle from the Hayden national for
est in Colorado took the grand cham
pionship prize at the national live
stock show in Denver. and in many
cases the lambs from the forests
topped the market. Losses from pre-
datory animals are growing less as
the wolves. bears, and other animals
are killed off by forest officers.
In connection with the grazing work
the forests serve to protect game, and
the Wichita forest, with its buffalo
Oklahoma. During the year the
service co-operated with the biological
survey in placing over two hundred
elk on various national forests. A
large number of streams were stocked
with trout fry.
One of the largest tasks of the serv-
ice during the past year has been the
classification of lands within the ma
tional forests in respect to their high
est future use. This work was under
taken during 1918 on a more compre-
10 hn
cause there was specific appropria.
'tion for the purpose. Large areas are
being classified where the amount OF
land chiefly valuable for agriculture
warrants its being taken out of the
forests, and 1t also takes care of areas
on which detailed classification will
disclose small areas suitable for agri.
cultural development within the for.
ests. The work is being carried on
with the assistance of the bureau OF
soils and the bureau of plant indus
try. One result of this work was the
elimination of 10000 acres from the
Nebraska national forest, $4,000 acres
from the Rainier, in Washington, and
413,770 acres from the Deschutes and
'Paulina in Oregon. About 100000
acres in small isolated tracts were
listed for settlement during the year
The areas now being examined for
classification have total area OF
about three million acres.
The forests are being made increas
ingly accessible. More than $50 miles
of road, nearly 300 miles of fire line
nearly 1000 miles of telephone lines
and $500 miles of trails were built
The present value of all public i'm
provements on the forests is some
what over s3,O00.000. two-thirds of this
amount having been put into lines Of
communication and protection.
Receipts from all sources for the
year were slightly under S2,50O, 900
showing an increase of IA per cent