Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-01-09
FOREST PRESERVE
PURCHASE FAVORED
Woods Conservation on Po-
tomac Tributaries viii Pro-
tect Water Supply Here.

1
the National Capital for the futur
the Department of Agriculture vii
purchase $4,000 acres of virginia
mountain territory in Grant and Pen
dleton counties. West Virginia, which
will he annexed to the MOnongahel;
National Forest.
Authority for this purchase wa
given Yesterday by the National For
est Commission in approving tn
project, which carried the indorse
ment of Secretary Jardine. Repre-
sentative Frank L. Bowman Of Yves
Virginia, an active member of thu
House District committee, sponsored
the project and has been intensivel!
interesting State and Federal author
tiles during the past year.
Actual purchase transactions are
not expected to he begun until after
June, when the commission will adopt
another semi-annual acquisition pro
gram, according TO its custom, bu1
already negotiations are under way
with owners of parcels of land in the
section.
Cost to BE About Sa00,000.
While it is Impossible at this time
to estimate accurately what the great
addition will cost, it is probable the
figure will amount to close to half
million dollars. figuring on a cost OF
$5.S4 an acre, which is an average
price paid for other Eastern forest
reservations in recent years.
The new area will become an in
tegrai part Of the forest reservation
designated officially as the Monon
gahela National Forest. which al
ready has an area of about 100000
acres all told in West Virginia and
Virginia, and will form another link
in the great chain of national park
areas in the Appalachian Mountains,
including the Shenandoah National
Forest and the area of the proposed
Shenandoah National Park. all of
which lie just beyond the door to the
National Capital.
The purchase of the new area was
decided upon at a full session of the
commission. which has as its mem.
bers Secretary of War Davis Secre-
tary Of the Interior Work, Secretary
of Agriculture Jardine. Senator Henry
w. Keyes of New Hampshire, Senator
Lee s. Overman of North Carolina
Representative Willis c. Hawley of
Oregon and Representative Gordon
Lee of Georgia.
Regulates Water Flow.
Other officials having to do with
the purchase included Col. W. b.
Greeley. chief of the Forest Service,
which agency will act in the purchas-
ing and maintenance of the forest
area: Evan w. Kelley, district for
ester, and w. T. Hedge, forester, who
for many years has been assigned in
the Monongahela section and who
made the report on the new area on
which the commission acted yester-
day.
Acquisition of the new area and
preservation of the great forest de-
Nelopment therein We're held to be of
more than casual Importance to the
Capital City because of the part un-
dergrowth and forests located ON
watershed, such as is that section of
West Virginia, in regulating the flow
OF water from rainfall.
1t was pointed out that the forests
check the flow of rainfall, permitting
the water TO seep slowly down the
slopes of the watershed and ulti-
mately into the tributaries of the
potomac, assuring a normal flow of
water in the Potomac, on which many
places, including Washington, draw
for city water.
Loss Would Cause Floods.
On the other hand, it was explained
should this Potomac watershed area
be permitted to become barren of
trees, through exploitation of the tim
berlands, forest fires or other de-
structive agencies, the rainfall would
sweep down the mountain sides and
into the river, causing many floods
deeply eroding the surface of the area
and causing the Potomac to become
a muddy, silt-filled stream.
serted lit is of vital Importance to
Washington that this section be put
under protection as a reservation"
Purchase of forest reservation lands
as made each year by the Forest
Service out of a lump sum appro-
priated annually by Congress to cover
such needs. Last fiscal year approx
mately 81 900, 600 was spent for such
purposes, largely in the East, and for
The current fiscal year a sum of about
$1,000 was provided. 1t is eX-
pected a total of nearly $4,000, 900
will be recommended for the purpose
for the coming fiscal year.
Authorization for the purchase of
such forest reservations dates back
TO 1911, when the Weeks act was put
into effect, providing preservation of
forests along navigahle rivers Later
in 1924. passage of the Clarke McNary
ACT SD4dIS6u lnS scope Oh the law 10
provide for the development of timber
Funds Go for Roads.
Acquisition of the $4,000 acres in
West Virginia will open that section
in the near future to much greater
public use through the development
of highways with the aid OF Federal
funds and many smaller roads and
forest trails. For not only Is the area
subject to allotments of funds under
the Federal aid road act, but also to
contributions made for road and
school purposes which are paid 10 the
counties from receipts of the forest
reservations themselves. Under law
80 per cent OF the gross receipts from
hhe forest reservations, accruing from
the sale of lumber, leasing Of grazing
lands, etc. is payable to the county
government for school and road pur-
poses.
Authorization of $4,000 600 for for
est highways for expenditure in 1928
already has been made for the ma
tional forests, with an additional
$4,000, 900 to accrue from the forest
road development funds themselves,
il il reported officially OF this sum
S45 900 is to I've spent on roads in
Virginia and $4,000 in West Vir-
ginia.
Forest in Good Condition.
The new tract lies to the east Of
the present Monongahela area, along
the North Fork and Southern Branch
tributaries 10 the Potomac River.
THE area has an elevation ranging
from ,00o TO 1000 feet. with an aver.
age Of 2 900, and is said by Mr.. Hedge
to be remarkably free from fire dam.
age, its forests. indeed. being in very
rrnod condition This timherIand he