The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1922-02-17

graduate of the school of the woods
over one-third of the 10 supervisors
have been through a professional
school Of forestry. But al should be
counted technical men, for To he quail
fed for their jobs they have had to
learn, through years Of service, the
practice Of forestry as II is applied on
the national forests.
Before finding out just what this
means. we may profitahly note what
sort Of business goes on In the super
yiSOr'S Office. ON his desk is his morn
ing mail-perhaps 30 or 60 letters, II
II does not happen TO be a busy time.
Some are from people whose homes
are within or near the forests and
who have written for n permit to cut
or lumber, or who want summer en-
ploymcut MS fire guards, or who are
not satisfied with the WAY the local
ranger is dealing with them. For we
must remember that our general sales
manager for the forest, In the person
of the supervisor, is not the man who
does most Of the actual selling.
The men in frst-hand contact with
the local public are the forest rangers
"A goodly body, all in the classified
civil service and, therefore, selected
on the basis of proved qualifications.
The forest ranger has almost become
famous. collectively speaking, In the
West and even i'm the East. That is
partly because he Is q somewhat pic
turesque and romantic figure MS we'll
as a highly useful citizen and public
officer. He Is indeed In n sense the
keystone Of the forest service arch
all the rest Of the administrative or
ganlzatiOn leads up To him and he is
the final unit that completes the sys-
TEN.
"Since the rangers are the actual
statesmen Of service To the local pub
lie, If they don't vind their p's and
rs the Supervisor quickly hears OF it
and very likely also if they do.
Grazing Problem.
"When the forest service took
charge Of the forests In 1908 the most
pressing administrative problem was
what 10 do about grazing. Unregulat-
ed grazing was proving seriously In
furious both TO the growth Of timber
and TO water supplies, and the range
itself was fast losing productive ca
paCity. Many persons advocated en-
drely closing the forests 10 the grazing
Of sheep. No one would think Of sug.
costing such a policy now.
'The timber Is still too far distant
fnOm local markets and means OF
transportation TO the general markets
Of the country to have come into full
demand. The West has not grown up
TO II. But the pasturage Is fully uti.
lized, under methods. which safeguard
the tree growth, ho!d'in check erosion,
prevent interference with the purity
and regularity Of streams, and are
bringing back the depleted ranges to
their full productive power.
within the national forests, reach
ing as they do from Mexico 10 Canada,
from almost sea level to the summer
snow banks, and from the desert to
the well-watered mountain meadows
where the finest cattle Craze knee
deep In luXurlant verdure, the widest
diversity of conditions exists. There
Is natural sheep range, natural cattli
range and natural goat range there
Is range on which 1t takes so acres Of
land ia support a cow, and range
which at It's best might carry so head
Of cattle to the quarter section
through the summer season there Is
winter range, summer range and year
long range; there Is range on land
where the tree growth Is no more than
scattered brush, valuable only for wa