Semi-weekly herald., 1916-02-24
-Four Days Conference
Of San Juan Fofesters

yuma, San Juan and Durango, having
headquarters respectively at Man.
cos, Pagosa Springs and Durango
They comprise 1,927,522 acres OF
government land and the combined
administrative forces total 20 local
officers. 1t is probable that the en-
tire number will be in attendance
upon the meeting. In addition to the
local forces of the three national for
ests there will be present a number
of the officers from the district Off
ce at Denver who have in their charge
the administration of the forests OF
Field District No. 2. This second dis
trict comprises the national forests
of Colorado, Wyoming, South Dako-
ia, Nebraska, Northern Michigan,
and Northern Minnesota. There are
in this district 33 national forests,
including about 23,O00,00O acres of
forested land.
Until about 20 years ago the for
ests on the public domain seemed
IN fair way TO be destroyed even
tually by fire and reckless cutting.
No systematic effort was being made
to protect them or even to use them
in the right way. They were left
simply to burn or else to pass by
means of one or another of the land
laws into private hands.
Had this destruction gone on un-
checked there would in the end have
been little timber left in the west.
either to burn or to cut and the de-
velopment of the country which calls
for timber not only at certain times
but all the time would have been re
tarder or stopped altogether. More
over, the destruction of the fores,
cover on the watersheds supplying
hundreds Of streams which rise in
the western mountains would have
had its certain effect on the stream.
flow-low water or no water Mt nil
during dry periods and destructive
floods after heavy rains.
In 1891 Congress- authorized the
president to set aside forest reserves
as the national forests were then call
ed, in order to protect the remain
ing timber on the public domain.
The government administration
OF the reserves soon made apparent
the necessity fer scientific forestry,
Grazing had grossly abused the range
and it was necessary to devise meth
DDS for increasing the forage crop.
Both timber use and grazing use
must be SO managed that water sup
plies would be maintained and better
ed. In 1881 the division of forestry
was created in the department, bu,
for long time it received an an
nual appropriation of less than $780,
900 and so could be little more than
bureau of information and advice.
From this small beginning, as its
field of work expanded. the division
grew into the forest service with an
appropriation for the fiscal year,
1915. of S6,700,42l.2 a., of which $4,-
100000 was spent for the administra.
tion and protection of the forests.
Today the forest work of the
government is mainly centered in the
forest service which in addition to ad-
ministering and protecting the ma
tional forests studies great num-
Der Of forestry problems and diffuses
Information -egarding forestry. The
office of forest pathology of the bu-
reau of plant industry studies the
diseases of trees and the branch of
insect Investigations in the bureau
of entomology seeks means Tor con-
trolling their insect enemies. In
space of less than 25 years the for
ests on the public domain have pass
ed from the condition in which the
timber was always in imminent dan
ger of being destroyed to one in
which it is everywhere being pro-
tected; from state in which as re-
suit of repeated fires and wasteful
numbering the annual growth was
scientific management insures a
steady increase in annual growth and
a good supply OF lumber for the
people for an indefinite period.
As an indication of the satisfac-
tory administration of the forest re-
serves to the livestock men, re-
mark from the address Of President
r. j. Hagenbarth, delivered at the
Sind annual convention Of the Ma
tional Wool Growers association at
Salt Lake City on January 13, last,
is here quoted:
"The administration of the forest
service grows better from year to
year. can remember the time when
the average sheep man, and many OF
us who are present today were among
the number, would call down the
wrath of Heaven on anyone who ad-