Omaha daily bee., 1915-12-29
Why Are National Forests?


wy HEN Columbus anticipated present-day advice
w and saw America first. he was doubtless un-
mindful OF the fact that the forests OF the ter
ritory called later United states contained timber
In quantity and variety far beyond that upon any
area Of similar IN the world IL has been estl-
mated that those early forests covered S1oO1Wo
acres lover 10000 square miles, and bore stand
OF not less than 52OOOo0OOoO) feet OF merchandise
timber No wonder wood seemed to the early settlers
inexhaustfble and more Of liability in bulk tnan
asset
Demand, nevertheless. has crept up to and passed
supply The present rate OF American cutting is
three times the annual growth Of our forests Ano
Of the five great original forest regions the eastern
southern, central Rocky Mountain and Pacific, the
eastern and southern are. comparatively speaking,
nearing exhaustion. the great pneries OF the lake
coming the end of their YIELD and heavy
inroads have been made upon the supply OF CONNER
cally valuable timber throughout all parts OF the
country.
OF there few trees left; approximately
so 10000 acres OF them: they about quarter
OF the United States We are dealing in big figures
but the principles Of mathematics hold notwithstand-
ing and H IL easy 70 calculate that IL three times
the amount Of wood IL cut each year. II will not be
an eternity before and axes are no longer Of
any great utility.
We take from our forests yearly. including waste
in logging and in manufacture. more than 100000
cubic feet OF wood valued at over A.S75OO0o Among
the soft woods In 1913 the production of yellow pine
lumber amounted about 15,OO0OoOOOO feet. Douglas
fir OF the northwest held second place. with nearly
b,6nQOOO0 Feet white pine with z,OV0VvOVO rect
ranked third though less was produced than in the
preceding year Oak first among hardwood
with 400 900 feet, and followed in order by
maple, red gum, tulip, poplar. chestnut, birch and
beech.
In fact. from February /. 1906 when the forests
transferred from the jurisdiction of the De-
parrnrt the Interior 20 that OF the Department Of
Agriculture the service has been working overtime on
the Job OF measuring and classifying the various re-
OF the forests, exploring and mapping their
10000 square miles of country and administering them
In as fair and businesske manner as It could And
IN little ten years the service Cat first under
the direction Of Clifford Pnchot later with Henry s.
| Graves forester), has performed task truly
herculean
The forest service has in that time worked out 9
set Of scientific forestry principles which direct for
est management. has reduced the fire danger gov
| eminent areas to a minimum. has opened up hun
dreds of thousands OF Of wild and formerly in
accessible mountain country through the construction
of roads, trails and telephone lines and has sold and
leased timber, water power sites and othei
forest these applied for. until during th'
fiscal year of 1913 the OF $6O00O0 paid in fo
benefits received II has also (and this is for many
reasons unimportant matter) secured and trained
body of public servants for the most part young men
which will compare very. very favorably with tn,
personnel OF any organization. public private. ~
the world. the spirit of the forest service" IA
milar slogan to all forest officers, expresses some
thing fine and unseifsh and full of the better
OF efficiency. 1t is spirit instinct with loyalty and
| the wish for honorable service.
IN 1913 over 4SOOoooO feet Of national forest tim
| ber worth than s1.O75ooO. under sal,
by different purchasers Contracts closed witt
5000 individual purchasers for the sale Of
100000 feet of timber worth about 1000
| removed during a period OF scare over III 900 90
feet OF timber. worth uz.ooo. given away Il
5000 settlers. miners and others TO develop thei
| farms and clams More than 1.65o0O0 CATTLE horses
and swine and 7seoooo sheep and goats were Craze,
forest ranges by ZOO stockmen. Seventy-six powe
plants 800 hotels. rest houses and summer resoi Is
and LOO stores and other bushes building wer,
operating the forests under permit One thousand
seven hundred new mining claims patented
within the forests. where the total mining population
! was more than NOo Twenty thousand permanent
settlers occupied farms within the forest boundaries
! One and a half million campers hunters and othe
pleasure seekers used the forests as recreation
| grounds
Two thousand four hundred ana seventy-two fire
extingushed during year by forest Officers
| Four thousand six hundred and eighty-sx predator
| animals including mountain lions, coyotes. an
wolves were killed to protect stock grazing on tn
forests More than $50 miles OF road 26 miles OF
line. $500 miles OF telephone line. and 26oO miles @
| trail built Thirty thousand acres OF burned
land were sown planted TO young trees.
In the conduct of its business the service lay
continual stress upon the principles which underl
and inform its various activities You will H.
runs the letter from the secretary OF agriculture
the forester-the letter defining policy shat n
water wood and forage OF the are conserve
wisely used for the benefit OF the home builds
first OF all. upon whom depends the best permanel
OF land and resources alike. The continued pro
perity OF the AGRICULTURAL numbering mining ar
live stock interests Is directly dependent upon pc
manent and accessible supply OF water. wood ar
forage. well upon the present and future M
OF these under businesslike regulations
forced with promptness. effectiveness and commc
sense. In the management OF each reserve loo
questions viii be decided upon local grounds; Il
dominant industry win be considered first. but wi
little restriction 20 minor industries may
possible; sudden changes In Industrial conditions VI
be avoided by gradual adjustment after due motto
when conflicting interests must be reconciled Il
question win always be decided from the standpoi
Of the greatest good to the greatest number in q
long run"