The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1915-02-20
NATIONAL FORESTS
MUCH USED.


Selling some billion and a half
board feet of timber and supervising
the cutting on several thousand diff
ferent areas, overseeing the grazing
of more than 1000, 900 cattle and T.
100000 sheep, and building more than
600 miles of road, 1000 miles of
trail, 5000 miles of telephone line,
and 700 miles of fire line are some
of the things which the government
forest service did last year, as dis
closed in the report by the chief for
ester for 1914. These activities were
all on the national forests, which at
present total about 1876, 000, 900 acres.
There is need, says the chief for
ester, to increase the cut of timber
from the national forests wherever a
fair price can be obtained for the
stumpage, because a great deal of it
is mature and ought to be taken out
to make room for young growth.
Unfavorable conditions in the lumber
trade caused new sales of national
forest timber to fall off somewhat
during the past year, though the ope-
rations On outstanding sales contracts
brought the total cut above that of
the previous year by 100, 900
board feet. There was, however, a
big increase in small timber sales,
these numbering 1928 in 1914 against
6,182 the previous year. Desirable
blocks of national forest timber have
been appraised and put on the mar
ket, and it is expected that these will
find purchasers when conditions in the
lumber industry improve. All told,
the government received $1,304, 053.-
&c from the sale of timber on the for
ests in 1914. The receipts from all
sources totaled $2,437,710.21.
After eight years of experience
stockmen are well satisfied, says the
chief forester, with the way the graz
ing of livestock on the forests is reg
ulated, and have even urged upon con.
gress the application of the same
method of control to the unreserved
public range. Almost $4,000 permit
ests, and these paid to the govern
ment in the fiscal year 1914 fees
amounting to over a million dollars.
The present tendency to raise fewer
sheep and goats and more cattle and
horses is shown in the fact that the
number of cattle and horse permit
OScS Ol ll6 WeSIeEI IOF6SlS Increased
last year by 1879, while the number
of sheep and goat permittees fell off
by a total of 26S. The western stock
business, the forester points QUITS be
coming attached to the soil, and the
itinerant sheep grower and the spec
ulator in cattle are giving place to the
permanent resident and owner of inn
proved ranch property. The latter
is always given preference in the use
OF national forest range.
Some $4,000 was spent by the
forest service during the year for per-
manent improvements on the national
forests to make them accessible and
to insure their protection from fire.
These improvements include 270
miles Of new road, 2,153 miles of
trail, 3,063 miles of telephone line,
775 miles of fire line, and LOG lookout
structures, besides bridges, corrals,
fences, and cabins. In addition, 642
miles of road were built for the public
by the use of 10 per cent. of the ma
tional forest receipts as authorized by
congress.
Under another law, % per cent. of
the national forest receipts for the
year, amounting. to 1886, $3.50,
were paid over to the various states