Our National Forests Part 2

II THE ADMINISTRATION OF THE NATIONAL FORESTS 30

Personnel 31 Duties of forest officers 31 The Forest Supervisor 32 The Forest a.s.sistant 34 The Forest Ranger 35 The Forest Clerk 38 Forest Service Meetings 39 How the Forest Service Appropriation is Allotted to the National Forests 40 Forest Service expenses 40 The agricultural appropriation bill 42 The ranger's protection and improvement plans 42 The Supervisor's plans 43 Approval of plans by the District Forester 44 The district fiscal agent 45 Tax money paid to the states 46 The Equipment and Supplies for the National Forests 47 The property auditor and property clerk 47 Blank forms 48 Supplies 48 National Forest Improvements 49 The need of improvements 49 Transportation facilities 50 Communication facilities 53 Grazing improvements 56 Protection improvements 57 Appropriations for improvement work 58 The Cla.s.sification and Consolidation of National Forest Lands 61 Land cla.s.sification 61 The consolidation of National Forest lands 63 How Young Forests are Planted to Replace Those Destroyed by Fire 64 Reforestation and the timber supply 64 Reforestation and water supply 65 Government reforestation policy 67 Methods of reforestation 70 Direct seeding work on the National Forests 72 Planting on the National Forests 78 The Organization and Scope of Forest Experiments and Investigations 83 The need of scientific experiments 83 The science of growing timber 84 Dendrological studies 86 Seed studies 87 Nursery studies 88 Forestation experiments 89 Studies of forest influences 89 Meteorological observations 91 Forest management studies 92 Forest protection studies 94 Protection from grazing damage 95 Protection from insects and diseases 96 Tree studies 97 Grazing investigations 98 Investigations dealing with poisonous plants and predatory animals 102 National Forest utilization experiments 104 Forest Products Laboratory experiments 108 Industrial investigations 116

III THE PROTECTION OF THE NATIONAL FORESTS 120

Protection from Fire 120 Forest Fire danger on the National Forests 120 Importance of fire protection 121 Causes of forest fires on the National Forests 124 Behavior of forest fires 126 Losses by forest fires on the National Forests 126 The forest fire problem stated 128 Fire prevention 129 Fire suppression 133 How forest fire funds are distributed 134 Forest fire history 136 Relation of forest fires to the weather 137 Improvements and equipment for protection 138 Forest fire maps and charts 139 Forest fire organization 140 How fires are located 142 The fire fighting organization 144 Forest fire cooperation 146 Fighting forest fires 147 Protection Against Trespa.s.s, Forest Insects, Erosion, and Other Agencies 150 Trespa.s.s 150 Forest insects 154 Tree diseases 159 Water supply 162 Public health 167 Violation of game laws 168

IV THE SALE AND RENTAL OF NATIONAL FOREST RESOURCES 170

The Sale and Disposal of National Forest Timber 170 Government Timber Sale Policy 171 Annual yield and cut 172 Timber reconnoissance 174 Logging the timber 176 The first step in purchasing government timber 180 Procedure in an advertised sale 180 Timber sale contract clauses 182 Special contract clauses 184 When the operation may begin 186 Marking the timber for cutting 186 Scaling, measuring, and stamping 188 Disposal of slash 190 Payment for timber 192 Stumpage rates 193 Cutting period 194 Readjustment of Stumpage rates 194 Refunds 194 The Disposal of timber to Homestead Settlers and Under Free Use 195 Sales to homestead settlers and farmers 195 Free Use 195 Timber Settlement and Administrative Use 198 The Rental of National Forest Range Lands 200 Importance of the live-stock industry 200 Permits issued in 1917 201 Kinds of range, grazing seasons, and methods handling stock 202 Grazing districts and grazing units 205 Who are ent.i.tled to grazing privileges 207 Grazing permits 211 Grazing fees 214 Stock a.s.sociations 215 Protective and maximum limits 216 Prohibition of grazing 218 Protection of grazing interests 219 Special Uses 220 Claims and Settlement 223 The National Forest Homestead Act 224 The mining laws 229 Coal-land laws 230 Administrative Use of National Forest Lands 230 Water Power, Telephone, Telegraph, and Power Transmission Lines 230

APPENDIX 233

ILl.u.s.tRATIONS

Figure 1. An observation point for finding forest fires.

Vigilance is the watchword on the National Forests. During During 1916 forest officers extinguished 5,655 forest fires. Photo by the author _Frontispiece_

FACING PAGE

Figure 2. A typical National Forest landscape in the high mountains. Potosi Peak, 13,763 feet, from Yankee Boy Basin, Uncompahgre National Forest, Ouray County, Colorado xviii

Figure 3. The climate of most of the National Forests is severe. This view was taken in the early summer and shows the high mountains still covered with snow. Most of the National Forest lands are therefore of small value for agriculture. Photo by Abbey xxviii

Figure 4. On many high mountains on the National Forests snow banks persist throughout the summer. This view was taken in the latter part of August. La.s.sen National Forest, California. Photo by the author xxviii

Figure 5. The Big Trees. "Mother of the Forest" in the background. North Calaveras Grove, California x.x.xii

Figure 6. A scene on one of the famous National Parks.

Upper Lake, Glacier National Park, Northern Rockies, Montana x.x.xvi

Figure 7. The remains of the old boiler house. The town once had a sawmill, planing mill, lath mill, besides modern conveniences. All these are now gone after the forests have been cut. Lemiston, Montmorency County, Michigan xlii

Figure 8. Deserted houses, abandoned after the sawmill left. These are the remains of what was once a prosperous town. Lemiston, Montmorency County, Michigan xlii

Figure 9. Forest officers in front of the Forest Supervisor's summer headquarters. Note the many telephone wires that lead from the office. This is 50 miles from the railroad. La.s.sen National Forest, California 32

Figure 10. Scene in front of the Forest Supervisor's headquarters. Sheep leaving the National Forest summer range in the fall to go to winter range in the valley.

La.s.sen National Forest, California 32

Figure 11. Forest officers and lumberjacks burning the slash resulting from a timber sale. The snow on the ground makes the burning less dangerous. Washakie National Forest, Wyoming. Photo by the author 38

Figure 12. Forest officers at a winter timber-cruising camp repairing snow shoes. Besides cruising the timber, these men make a logging map of the government lands, to show how the timber can best be taken out. La.s.sen National Forest, California. Photo by the author 38

Figure 13. A forest fire lookout tower on Leek Springs Mountain, Eldorado National Forest, California 50

Figure 14. A typical Forest Ranger's headquarters.

Idlewood Ranger Station, Arapaho National Forest, Colorado 52

Figure 15. A typical view of the National Forest country in Montana. Forest Service trail up Squaw Peak Patrol Station, Cabinet National Forest 54

Figure 16. Forest Rangers repairing a bridge over a mountain stream. Arapaho National Forest, Colorado 56

Figure 17. A forest fire lookout station on the top of La.s.sen Peak, elevation 10,400 feet, La.s.sen National Forest, California. The cabin was first erected complete in a carpenter's shop in Red Bluff, about 50 miles away.

It was then taken to pieces and packed to the foot of La.s.sen Peak. On the last two miles of its journey it was packed piece by piece on forest officers' backs and finally rea.s.sembled on the topmost pinnacle of the mountain. Photo by the author 58

Figure 18. Forest officers and laborers building a wagon road through trap rock. Payette National Forest, Idaho 58

Figure 19. Drying pine cones preparatory to extracting the seed. Near Plumas National Forest, California 66

Figure 20. Extracting tree seed from the cones. The dried cones are shaken around until the seeds drop out through the wire mesh which forms the sides of the machine 66

Figure 21. Preparing the ground with a spring-tooth harrow for the broadcast sowing of tree seeds. Battlement National Forest, Colorado. This view was taken at approximately 10,000 feet elevation. Photo by the author 70

Figure 22. A local settler delivering a load of Lodgepole pine cones at the seed extractory, for which he receives 45 cents per bushel. Forest officers receiving them, Arapaho National Forest, Colorado 70

Figure 23. In a forest nursery a trough is often used for sowing seeds in drills. The seed scattered along the sides of the trough rattles into position at the bottom and is more even than when distributed by the ordinary worker at the bottom of the trough. Pike National Forest, Colorado 72

Figure 24. Uncle Sam grows the little trees by the millions. These will soon cover some of the bare hillsides on the National Forests of the West 72

Figure 25. One of the largest Forest Service nurseries where the young trees are given the utmost care before they are large and strong enough to endure the rigorous climate of the National Forests. McCloud Nursery, Shasta National Forest, California 76

Figure 26. A view of seed sowing with a corn planter.

San Isabel National Forest, Colorado 78

Figure 27. Sowing seed along contour lines on the slopes. Pike National Forest, Colorado 78

Figure 28. A planting crew at work setting out small trees. The man ahead digs the hole, and the man behind plants the tree. Wasatch National Forest, Utah 82

Figure 29. At the Fort Valley Forest Experiment Station, Coconino National Forest, Arizona. A typical meteorological station. Forest officer measuring precipitation. Note the shelter which contains thermometers and also the electrically equipped instruments to record the direction and velocity of the wind 90

Figure 30. Forest officer ascertaining the amount of evaporation from a free water surface. Fort Valley Forest Experiment Station, Flagstaff, Arizona 90

Figure 31. Forest Ranger with his pack horses traveling over his district. Meadow Creek, foot of Mt.

Wilson, Montezuma National Forest, Colorado 102

Figure 32. A plank of Incense cedar affected by a disease known as "pin rot." By cutting the cedar timber when it is mature this can be largely avoided. La.s.sen National Forest, California. Photo by the author 114

Figure 33. The western pine forests will some day be a great source for naval stores. By distilling the crude resin of the Jeffrey pine a light volatile oil--abietene--is secured which has great healing and curative properties. La.s.sen National Forest, California.

Photo by the author 114

Figure 34. A forest fire lookout station at the summit of Mt. Eddy. Mt. Shasta in the background. California 124