The Elk Mountain pilot., 1918-06-13
FOREST SERVICE ACTIVITIES
w / Hutchingson


and what it stands for, but how
many of us have ever stopped to
think of it as anything but Govern
ment bureau which collects grazing
fees and sells timber? Perhaps late
| ly, when so many of our boys are be-
ing called to the colors, we have even
questioned in our mind the the part
it is playing to help along the great
war we are now engaged in ito make
the world better place to live in"
ii you are acquainted with the local
forestry officer you doubtless know
that they are bending every effort to
do their part to speed up all forms
of war production and conservation.
But the Forest Service is bigger than
our own Gunnison National Forest,
or even the II National Forests of
Colorado. Under its jurisdiction are
lat great Forests stretching from
Maine to California and from the
Gulf of Mexico to the Canadian line
vast areas of mountainous lands
covering over 153,000,O00 acres and
managed by close to 1000 men. And
every acre and every man is being
used to the best advantage possible
to help along the war.
The part this great organization is
playing in war activities is by no
means small or unimportant one.
To begin with, two regiments have
been recruited from among forest
and lumber men for service abroad
the 10th and Goth Engineers (Forest)
over 10000 men in all, and the lat
ter regiment the largest in the world.
This work was undertaken at tho re-
quest of the British and French gov
ernments, in order that the forests
of England and France, which have
been called upon to supply the bulk
of the timber needed for construc-
tion purposes at the front, might be
scientifically managed and not de-
pleted of their tree growth in the
mad haste to get out lumber for
docks, trenches. barracks and rail
roads And today the men of these
regiments are delivering the goods
abroad and showing the Allies how
American lumber-iacks can get out
material on short notice when put to
it. Many of the best men of the For
est Service went over as officers and
privates in these regiments as is
shown by the Service Flag of nearly
800 stars which floats over the Ma
tional Forest Headquarters in Wash
ington, d. C. From the Rocky Noun
tain District, alone, the call took 35
men, some to the Forest Regiment
and others to the Regular Army, and
most of these boys have been in
France for months The stars of
gold are also beginning to appear
amidst the stars of blue on the ban
ners so proudly raised but few
months ago.
"Over here" the Forest Service
has been busy too. The great Gov
ernment timber testing laboratory at
Madison, Wisconsin. has through tire
less efforts perfected ways and means
by which spruce for airplanes, walnut
for gun stocks and timber for ships
and submarine chasers and many
other forms of construction may be
kiln dried in but few hours where
/ formerly it required weeks and
months to drive moisture out of
wood sufficiently to make it fit for
use. New species of wood have been
discovered for war purposes, to be
used as substitutes for material long
considered essential in many indus
tries, but which can no longer be Sc
cured in quantity. A great wood
campaign has been started through
out the whole United States, in order
that cordwood may be used for fuel
I in localities where coal is scarcity.
I In Colorado we hear little of this, but
back East and in the South the "cut
cord" movement has assumed enor-
nous proportions.
To meet the demand for livestock
so essential to an increased meat pro-
duction which we must have to carry
on the war to a successful conclusion,
the Forest Service has opened sp its
National Forest ranges to large
hummer of extra stock which viii run
in the mountains this summer. Over
/ 100000 cattle and 100000 sheep will
thus be provided for -Colorado's
share of the increase amounting to
81 900 head of cattle and 151, 900
sheep. In all the National Forests
of the country 81. million cattle and
horses and nearly million sheep and
goats will be grazed this season.
This means more beef and mutton,
not only for the people of this coun-
try but for our boys in France and
our Allies nc xueI1