Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1915-07-03
FOREST RESOURCES
Secretary Houston Expresses Views After
Tour of National Forests in
the West.

Washington, June 29.-The first hand
impressions and experiences gained on
his thirty day tour of the national forests
are described as Invaluable" by Secre-
tary of Agriculture Houston in a letter
which he has sent on his return to
Washington to the chief forester, ex-
pressing his approval of the administra-
tive work and methods Of the forest SER
vice.
Starting out with the expressed in
tention of seeing the work with his own
eyes and studying on the ground the
principal problems involved in manag-
ing and developing the forest resources
of the country, Secretary Houston visit
ed typical forests in each of the six great
forest districts of the west, penetrating
into the wilds on logging locomotives,
automobiles, horseback, and ct times on
foot, and getting into personal touch,
not only with the rangers and guards,
| but with homesteaders, cattlemen, lum-
| Der jacks, and others among whom the
| forest officers do their work.
81 especially desired to familiarize
myself" says the secretary in his letter
to the forester, with the administrative
machinery and business methods, to
acquaint myself with the grazing con.
ditions, the water-power Developments,
the timber operations, the relation Of
the forests to agriculture, the road and
trail aud other improvements, the re-
creational use of the forests, other uses,
and to see some of the typical home
stead claims. | was afforded an oppor-
tunity to see typical forests in each of
the districts and some Of the more strick
ing operations OF each of them.
II regret that it was physically i'm
possible for me to visit more of the for
ests in each district. / feel however,
that accomplished my main purposes
and that the results of my trip are in
valuable. | was exceedingly gratified
with the evidences of enthusiasm, loyal.
ty aud devotion to duty on the part of
all representatives of the department
with whom | came in contact. / was
especially impressed with the intelligent
and pathetic attitude between the for |
est service and the users of the forests
and of all communities dependent upon
them. 1t was pleasing to observe that
in the forests themselves the residents |
and other users look to the forest Off |
GERS, not only for information bearing |
on forestry problems in which they are |
interested, but also for assistance in |
many other matters. The efficient and !
sympathetic handling Of forestry prob |
lrms on the part of the service, in the |
interest not only of the nation, but par
hcularly of the sections in which the |
forests are located, gives promise of the |
successful solution Of any problems that |
may confront u.s."
In statement supplementing his let |
ter, Secretary Houston said that among |
the first Of the activities with which he |
came into contact was the recreational |
use Of the national forests, under which |
upward of million persons every year
travel, camp, hunt, fish or maintain sum- |
mer homes and resorts in the forests. |
The tour Of inspection began on the |
Santa Fe Forest, New Mexico, where |
many summer homes have been built |
in the mountains. In the Coconino and |
Tusayan forests Arizona, which border |
the famous Grand Canyon, the secre- |
tary was particularly impressed, he said, |
by the necessity of improvements which |
will make the canyon more accessible to |
Puplib anu WHlCu are D6luR tOH~ !
structed by the forest service on these |
and other forests as rapidly as funds per
NIT, nearly 5000 miles of road and 2l,-
600 miles of trail having been built on
all of the national forests up to date.
Stock owners in the west, said the |
secretary, are more than satisfied with
the department regulations under which |
improved range conditions are brought |
along with the grazing of increasing |
number oflivestock, of which more than
10 million, mainly sheep, cattle and |
horses, now Craze annually on the ma
tlonal forests. In the logging and mill |
operations on some of the big timber |
projects in the Douglas FIR country of |
Oregon and Washington, the secretary |
said he was enabled to get much frs. |
hand knowledge of fire protection and |
conservative logging as carried on under |
government regulation, and he com
mended the feforestation work for which |
from ten to fifteen million trees are |
grown annually in forest service nurs-
cries.
The secretary completed bis tour in |
Montana after he had had personal in
sight into practically all ofthe impor- |
tant activities Of the forest service, aud |
as he said, obtained first hand Impress
ions not only from forest officers, but |
from all classes of local residents who |
are affected by the methods and regula- |
tions under which the national forests
are being administered in every section