Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1915-05-10
PUBLIC RESOURCES
BEING DEVELOPED
Permission Is Granted For Erection
Of Thousands Of Cottages on
National Forest Reserves

Washington. May 10.--Secretary of
Agriculture Houston has begun an ex-
tensive tour of the national forests to
find out for himself to what extent
their timber forage. water power. rec
reational and agricultural resources
are being developed for the public un-
der present methods and to make n
study of the administrative problems
of the forest service. This month he
will visit the forests in several of the
western States, spending almost the
entire time of his trip in the woods,
seeking first-hand impressions of the
conditions under which the forest SER
vice works
Conditions during the Spring and
summer are likely to be unusually ar
duous, according to forest service ofii-
cials, in that a dangerous fire season
is indicated for many of the forests
by the abnormally slight precipita-
ton of the winter. Unless the def
ciency is made up, the forests will be
dry and inflammable earlier in the
season than usual and the water sup
ply of many extensive regions will be
low. r
Numerous irrigation, reservoir and
power projects are wholly or in part
dependent on national forest protec-
ton of watersheds, and 1T is beginning
to be generally understood that aside
from actual farming on national for
est land. the agricultural interests OF
the west are much concerned in the
conservations of water supplies accom-
plished by the forest service through
lessened fire damage and regulated
grazing. In Southern California the
interest in maintaining a forest cover
on the mountains from which local
water supplies are derived is so keen
that for a number of years local funds
have been raised and paid over to the
department of agriculture in order to
provide for more intensive protection
than the federal appropriations make
possible.
Any Development Benefited
Under the methods employed in
handling the livestock grazing busi-
ness of the national forests, agricul-
tural development is benefited not
only through the prevention of in
jury to watersheds, but also through
the opportunities opened for ranch de-
velopment. AS new settlers locate
near the forests room is made for
their stock by cutting down, If neces-
sary, the number of stock allowed the
900 cattle, sheep and hogs. including
young stock. will find forage this year
in the national forests. The reevnue
from this source is expected to eX-
ceed s1,200,000 in 1915.
One of the difficult administrative
problems, now being rapidly worked
out. is that of agricultural develop
ment of lands more valuable for farm
than for forest purposes. Extensive
land classification has been made pos
sible by a special appropriation of
Congress for this purpose renewed
each year since 1912. Up to date,
about $4,000 agricultural homesteads
have been listed within the national
forests, opening 10 agricultural devel-
opment nearly ], 100000 acres of forest
land. In addition, a certain amount
of agricultural development is pro-
vided for under special use permits,
where for any special reason listing
does not afford practicable means of
meeting settlers needs
Forest Lands Thrown Open
More than $1,000 special use per-
mits of all kinds have been issued to
the public since 1905, granting free
or for a reasonable charge permission
to conduct all sorts of enterprises on
national forest land. They include
apiaries, barns. boat houses, botanical
gardens, cemeteries, churches, cots
tages, golf links, hotels, mines, min
eral springs, observatories, orchards,
quarries, railroads, ranches, resi-
dences, restaurants. rifle ranges, roads,
sanatoriums, sawmills, slaughter
houses, telegraph and telephone lines,
tennis courts, tramways, tunnels,
water power plants, wells, weirs and
wharves. The total income from spe-
cial use permits in 1914 was over
S131, 900.
Farmers. prospectors and local set
tiers of all classes, who needed tim
Der for their own use in the construc-
ton of houses, barns, fences, and the
like, were given free more than 120,-
900, 900 feet of national forest timber
during 1914, while about 100000
feet was sold to settlers, ranchers and
others at cost prices. The timber sale
business of the national forests
more than 1.500,000,O00 board feet of
stumpage having been sold to lumber
operators last year.
Many Cottages Built
The forests contain most of the pic
turesque wilderness in the country,
and their recreational resources are
practically unlimited. More than
Q 900 cottages have been built on the
forests by summer residents under the
permit system, which has been sup
plemented by a law providing that
tracts of five acres or less may be
leased for periods not to exceed thirty
years. This law, under which leasing
regulations have just been promulgat-
ed by the Secretary of Agriculture, is
expected to stimulate recreational de-
velopment of the forests. Already a
large number of applications TO lease
national forest land for summer resi-
dence sites has been received, and
even communities are beginning to
take advantage of the forests situated
near them by obtaining tracts for use
as picnic, camping and Fairgrounds.