DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,

| UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE

; "REPORT PREPARED FOR
THE COMMISSION OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
. TO THE BRAZIL CENTENNIAL EXPOSITION

S _ Kor Distribution at the Brazil Ceatcantl Exposition
1922-1923 ~

WASHINGTON ~
GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE
aa \ > wet the

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE

THE
UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE

Supplementing Exhibit
of the
UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE
at the
‘BRAZIL CENTENNIAL EXPOSITION
Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
1922-1923

By
Herbert A. Smith

~ United States Forest Service

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Liana OF CONGHESS
RECEIVED
JAN 291928

OOCUMENTS Gs -

'

THE UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE.

The chief forest work of the Government of the United States of
North America is in charge of the Federal Department of Agriculture.
This is because the science of forestry is essentially a branch of agri-
culture, for it has to do with the growing of successive crops of timber
from the soil. It is also closely related to other lines of work in the same
department, particularly entomology and plant diseases.

The administration of the national forests is directly in charge of the
Forest Service, which is a bureau of the Department of Agriculture.

Wood and water at Nature’s source of supply.

Its chief is designated ‘‘The Forester.’’ Besides administering the
the national forests, the Service also makes investigations in the interest
of the best use of the forests and forest products of the country generally.
The problems involved in the administration of the national forests
are fundamentally agricultural. When forestry is practiced, timber
becomes a crop produced from the soil under methods which must be
developed scientifically, as other branches of agriculture are developed.
In all countries where forestry is an important governmental activity
it is grouped with agriculture. Right handling of the forest ranges is
a problem of animal husbandry and forage-plant production. Grazing
on the national forests is already largely supplemental to ranching,

T

2 THE UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE.

through its provision of summer feeding grounds for local farm live
stock; and under the administration of the Department of Agriculture
it will grow more so as settlers increase in number. The present grazing
policy and the agricultural lands policy of the Forest Service promote -
settlement. Water conservation has in view the interests of irrigation
farmers. Forestry and agriculture are interwoven and akin.

The keynote of national forest administration in the United States
of North America is service. The object aimed at is” best use of the
many resources of the forests in the interest of the public welfare. From
the standpoint of material wealth the forests have their greatest impor-
tance as sources of supply of wood, water, and range forage. Because
they are largely confined to the mountainous areas where there are
streams and lakes, and oftentimes wild life, the national forests have
also a great and growing value to the country as places of recreation.
Not only are they open to all persons for all lawful purposes; the prime
object always held in view is to make them more useful to more people.
Naturally they are of greatest benefit to the local residents near them
and to the States in which they lie, but they are useful also to the whole
Nation in ways that are not always realized.

Most of the national forests are located in the mountainous regions of
the country, where the preservation of tree growth is of great importance.
From the hardwoods of the southern Appalachians to the spruces of the
White Mountains in New England, from the pifion and juniper stands
where tree growth begins in the southern Rocky Mountains of New Mexico
to the pine and fir forests of the Canadian line in Montana and Idaho,
from the brush-covered foothills of the San Jacinto and San Bernardino
Mountains in southern California to the vast softwood stands of the
Olympics and Cascades in northern Washington, the national forests
lie mainly on the mountain slopes. Even along the Alaskan shore,
where the Tongass and Chugach Forests form a tattered ribbon 600
miles long from the southern tip of the territory to within sight of Mount
McKinley, the valuable Sitka spruce and hemlock growth clothes the
lower flanks of the coastal mountains. In these rugged regions of the
country permanent forests will make the land of highest service.

The timber, water, grazing, recreational opportunities, and other
resources of the national forests are for the use of the people of the
United States. They contribute largely to industrial enterprises through
their yearly cut of about one hundred million cubic feet of timber, mostly
used by sawmills and mines, protect watersheds of about one-third of
the water-power resources of the Nation and the pure and abundant
water supplies of a thousand towns and cities, furnish pasturage for
nearly 15,000,000 head of sheep, cattle, horses, and hogs of all ages.
The forests also afford playgrounds for millions of recreation seekers, to
whom these vacation places are made accessible by the building of roads
and trails.

THE UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE. 3

The following pages tell in a general way of the work involved in

“« making them of fullest use to the public. It tells also something of other

activities of the Forest Service conducted to bring about better use of

North American forests and forest products generally. More detailed

information concerning the use of these national forests and their re-

sources may be obtained by applying to the Forest Service, United States
Department of Agriculture, Washington, D. C., U. S. A.

FOREST SERVICE ORGANIZATION.

OFFICE AT WASHINGTON, D. C.

The administration of the national forests and the conduct of all
matters relating to forestry which have been placed upon the Department
of Agriculture by the United States Congress are, under the direction
of the Secretary of Agriculture, in charge of The Forester and an Asso-
ciate Forester. The work of the Forest Service is organized under the
Branches of Operation, Forest Management, Grazing, Lands, Research,
Engineering, and Public Relations.

The Branch of Operation has general supervision of the finances,
personnel, equipment, quarters, and supplies of the Service, and of all
fire control and permanent improvement work on the national forests.

The Branch of Forest Management supervises the sale and cutting of
timber on the national forests and reforestation of denuded land, and
cooperates with States in protecting forest lands from fire under the
Weeks law.

The Branch of Grazing supervises the grazing of live stock upon the
national forests, allotting grazing privileges and dividing the ranges be-
tween different owners and classes of stock. It is also charged with the
work of improving depleted grazing areas and of cooperating with the
Federal and State authorities in the enforcement of stock quarantine
regulations.

The Branch of Lands examines and classifies lands within the national
forests to determine their value for forest purposes; conducts the work
in connection with claims on the national forests prior to proceedings
before United States registers and receivers; and has general supervision
over the use and occupancy of national forest lands under special-use
permits, the development of recreational resources within the national
forests, the exchanges of national forest lands and timber for lands in
private ownership within the national forests, and the administrative
work connected with the purchase of forest lands in the eastern United
States.

The Branch of Research has supervision over the investigative work
of the Service, including silvicultural studies, studies of State forest
conditions, investigations of the lumber and wood-using industries and
lumber prices, and the investigative work carried on at the Forest Prod-
ucts Laboratory and the forest experiment stations.

4 THE UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE.

The Branch of Engineering administers water-power permits and
easements granted prior to the passage of the Federal water power act,
and makes such power investigations and reports as are requested by the

Federal Power Commission. It is also che “ith the making of such
surveys and maps as are necessary tc *. onal forest work. It
administers for the Forest Service the prow’ _.s of the national forest

road appropriation acts and supervises the c truction of such roads and
trails as are handled by the Forest Service. Practically all civil-
engineering work in the Service is now handlec > this branch.

The Branch of Public Relations devises ar: + *velops means of contact
with the public, to the end that the services -h the Forest Service is
prepared to render may be better known 4 we generally made use of.
These means include official publications, information for the press,
information and material for use in schools, and forestry exhibits and
motion pictures. The branch gives particular attention to enlisting the
cooperation of the public in the prevention an . control of forest fires.

To facilitate the administration of the national forests, eight field
districts have been established, with a district forester in charge of each.

FHE FORESTS FOR «| 3E.

The policy under which the national forests are administered by the
Department of Agriculture through the Forest Service is to make them
of the most use to the most people, but especially to the man of small
means and the local farmer and settler. They were meant, first of all,
to enable the people to build homes and to maintain them. This policy
was laid down by the Secretary of Agriculture in a letter to The Forester,
dated February 1, 1905, in which he said:

“In the administration of the forest reserves it must be clearly borne in
mind that all land is to be devoted to its most productive use for the per-
manent good of the whole people and not for the temporary benefit of
individuals or companies. All the resources of the forest reserves are for
use, and this must be brought about in a thoroughly prompt and business-
like manner, under such restrictions only as will insure the permanence of .
these resources. * * * You will see to it that the water, wood, and
forage of the reserves are conserved and wisely used for the benefit of the
home builder first of all, upon whom depends the best permanent use of
lands and resources alike. The continued prosperity of the agricultural,
lumbering, mining, and live-stock interests is directly dependent upon a
permanent and accessible supply of water, wood, and forage, as well as
upon the present and future use of these resources under business-like
regulations enforced with promptness, effectiveness, and common sense
In the management of each reserve local questions will be decided upon
local grounds, the dominant industry will be considered first, but with as
little restriction to minor industries as may be possible; sudden changes
in industrial conditions will be avoided by gradual adjustment after due

THE UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE.

wn

TENANTS OF MOTHER NATURE AND UNCLE SAM.

Recreation ranks among the major services performed by the national forests. Each year several million
, health and recreation seekers visit them, summer-home sites are leased, camping is free and generally
| requires no_permit.

11961—22

2

6 THE UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE.

notice, and where conflicting interests must be reconciled the question
will always be decided from the standpoint of the greatest good to the
greatest number in the long run.”

Lands which are more valuable for agriculture than for forestry pur-
poses have been excluded from the national forests either by changes in |
the boundaries of the forests or by being opened to settlement and entry
under the Forest Homestead Act of June 11, 1906. The act of August
10, 1912, which directed that the national forest lands be classified for
the purpose of determining those which are chiefly valuable for agricul-
ture, has resulted in practically all agricultural lands within the national
forests being listed for homestead entry in the United States land offices.

To the camper, sportsman, and seeker after health, rest, and recrea-
tion, the national forests offer unrivaled opportunities for outdoor life
and enjoyment. The popularity of these great mountain playgrounds
of the United States is evidenced by the fact that several million people
visit them each year. Roads and trails, marked by signs, make the
forests reasonably accessible. There are countless secluded spots along
the banks of streams and lakes where the camper may pitch his tent.
Camping is free and generally requires no permit. The camper may
choose his own camp ground and help himself to dead wood for fuel and
to forage for his camp stock. In localities frequented by large numbers
of people “recreation areas’’ are being established by the Forest Service,
and log shelters, camp fireplaces, and comfort stations constructed for
the convenience of visitors as fast as the funds made available by Congress
permit. Big game is to be found in the more secluded parts of the
mountains, and there are many excellent trout streams and lakes, yearly
restocked with young fish, which offer keen sport to the angler. The
only restrictions for sportsmen within the national forests are those
imposed by the fish and game laws of the States in which the forests
are located, and all that is asked of the visitor is that he look to the
proper sanitation of his camp and be careful with fire.

Many people who visit the national forests desire to return year after
year to the same locality for an annual vacation. ‘To meet this demand
Congress, by the act of March 4, 1915, authorized the Secretary of Agri-
culture to issue term permits to ‘‘responsible persons or associations to
use and occupy suitable spaces or portions of ground in the national]
forests for the construction of summer homes, hotels, stores, or other
structures needed for recreation or public convenience, not exceeding
five acres to any one person or association.”’

The Forest Service wishes to accommodate as many people on the
national forests as practicable. For this reason tracts desirable for
summer-home purposes, except in unusual instances, are limited to one
acre or less in area, and term permits run for a period of from 5 to 15
years, with privilege of renewal. The annual rental charge for lands
occupied for summer homes varies from $5 to $25, depending on the
location.

THE UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE. 7

THE RANGER’S FINISHING TOUCH.

Lodgepole pine ties piled for shipping. _The ranger is stamping the ties with the Forest Service marking
hatchet, which bears the impression ‘‘U. S.”’ and indicates the official count.

HARVESTING THE FOREST CROP.

The Government sells ripe timber on the national forests. Trees to be cut are marked in advance by a
forest officer. Enough of the younger trees are left for a later cut or to seed the ground for a new crop.
Logging slash must be piled and burned in favorable weather.

8 THE UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE.

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When the grazing season opens on a forest, the ranger counts sheep and cattle as they come up out of the
valleys to use the national forest range.

FOR PASTURES NEW.

Timber is not the only crop of the national forests. ‘Their ranges afford pasturage for nearly 15,000,000
head of stock of all ages.

4

THE UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE. 9

On a few of the smaller national forests no permits for private summer
_ homes are granted because of the limited amount of Government land
available and because there are private lands near by which may be
leased or purchased. General use, through the reservation of open
camp grounds, is always given first consideration. Special use by indi-
viduals who pay rental has been made secondary to the needs of the
public.

Permission to occupy national forest land for residential, commercial,
or industrial purposes not inimical to the protection and management of
the national forests may be secured under special-use permits obtainable
upon payment of moderate fees.

Closely related to the development of recreational facilities is the use
of the national forests as the habitat of fish and game. Wild life adds
materially to the enjoyment of the national forests by the public, and
the preservation of game animals, birds, and fish is a public duty. Game
protection is one of the regular activities of the field officers of the Forest
Service. Cooperation with the State and local authorities in enforcing
the game laws has contributed in no small degree toward making the
national forests more attractive to visitors and conserving one of their
valuable resources.

Special acts of Congress have designated several national game pre-
serves, situated wholly or in part within national forests, for the protec-
tion of wild life.

By act of June 8, 1906, the Congress of the United States provided for
the protection of cliff dwellings, pueblo ruins, ancient rock paintings,
unique topographic or geologic features, historic landmarks, groves of
rare trees in danger of destruction, and other objects of historic and
scientific interest on lands controlled by the Goverment, and authorized
the President to create, by proclamation, national monuments for their
preservation. When a national monument is created within a national
forest, it is under the jurisdiction of the Forest Service, which cooperates
with the Bureau of American Ethnology of the Smithsonian Institution
in protecting it and securing information regarding such objects. The
following national monuments are situated within national forests:

|

Name. National forest. State.
Bandeliet: .cierra tete as elo ne =, eee cl ante Hei. '. 25s oss... || New! Mexico,
DewilpRoste bles gree ates chls ol-.2,2 44] NDLCTT A: 255 eri age, s sys oo|) California.
Gia Cliff Dwellings... 2.c2.c.0. Gila 2 eae h se, New elexrico:
SINE INCAVIC=e ae teh ae raion soars sarah fis init ce eee eee ee | South Dakota.
MelimaAn Caves! 9.) .ciets cle eyayeate oe Ss VUNG yada wel. af a). Paste Nevada.
Oldigkeassaanl Hr in Oe ike fate eres saree | SWOmgassi bake. essa. .| Alaska,
Mount Olympus: .: 2. o. 254.22...) Olympic.... 2: ........-) Washington.
O@reroneCAveSiacy. siete we cei the Sater cia S,. | DISKAY OU os we. neat seed Ae. Oregon.
PCE) 5 die Hee ae a oe lPPonto.e< 25. Cone ..s.:s| Afizona:

AN ME CANNY OMFS 6 oo awe ¢ onesie sas) COCOMING)....5, 0 2s. 4 ctl Do.
\iCochetopatrs osc vats. .|
WVieGletempien pres ate rice atone chek {Ri A OE Sa SAR eae }colorado.

1O THE UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE.

Ripe standing timber on the forests, of which there is a large amount, is
sold at a fair price. Anybody may purchase timber, but no one can
obtain a monopoly of it or hold it for speculative purposes. The Govern-
ment is anxious to sell the mature timber on the forests, because it is no
longer growing at a profitable rate and should give way to young trees ~
and seedlings which will insure continuous production. The fewest pos-
sible restrictions are imposed upon purchasers of timber, only such as
will insure cut-over areas being left in the best condition for future
growth. Experienced Government woodsmen estimate the quantity and
quality of the standing national forest timber and its approximate value
as a basis for the price to be charged. Bids are then obtained through
public advertisement, unless the amount is small enough to come within
the limit which can be sold without advertisement. ‘The trees to be cut
on a Government sale area are marked in advance by a forest officer, the
object being to leave enough of the younger trees to seed the ground and
form the basis of a second crop of timber to be cut on the same land. This
is merely applying the principles of practical forestry to make sure that
there will always be timber on the national forests to cut. ‘Timber on
the watersheds of streams is not cut to an extent that will impair the
protective cover that the forests affords, because one of the chief objects
of the national forests is to regulate stream flow.

Small sales of timber for use nearby the national forests are encouraged.
This is one of the ways in which the national forests are made to serve
the small lumberman and consumer. ‘Though single sales have been made
for as much as 800,000,000 board feet (roughly 100,000,000 cubic feet),
over nine-tenths of the sales are for $100 worth of timber or less. Of the
12,570 timber sales on the national forests in the fiscal year 1921, 12,236
were of this latter kind.

Homestead settlers and farmers may obtain national forest timber for
their own use at the actual cost of making the sale. No charge is made
for the timber itself. This is one of the ways in which the national
forests are made to serve local residents.

Along with the timber on the national forests there is a great deal of
grazing land, and this is used at present by over 7,000,000 sheep and goats
and 2,000,000 cattle, horses, and swine every year, in addition to their
natural increase. Local settlers and stockmen have the first right to
the use of the range, just as in the case of the other resources, and every
man who grazes stock on the forests under permit is allotted a certain
area for the grazing season. Unfair competition between the big man
and the little man, which in the earlier days of the western United States
worked so much harm, is done away with. <A good supply of forage
year after year is insured by not allowing the land to be overcrowded with
stock. Under regulation overgrazed range is improved, instead of being
further run down or denuded, as has been the case with many of the out-
side public lands.

THE UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE. 1G t

THE HOSPITABLE ROAD.

The United States Forest Service has cooperated in the construction of approximately 5,000 miles of roads

and has built nearly 20,000 miles of trails during its administration of the national forests.

12 THE UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE.

1$2344

THE BIRD’S-EYVE VIEW.

The airman often locates a fire before the smoke betrays it to the lookout beyond the intervening ranges.

THE MAN ON TOP.

From the top of some lofty peak the lookout keeps watch for signs of smoke in the far-away valleys. A
telephone connects him with the nearest ranger station.

THE UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE. LS

Mineral deposits within national forests, except such forests as were
purchased under the act of March 1, 1911, are open to development
exactly as on unreserved public land. A prospector can go anywhere
he chooses and stake a claim wherever he finds any evidence of valuable
minerals. Prospectors may obtain a certain amount of national forest
timber free of charge to be used in developing their claims, and in other
ways the Forest Service gives the mining man all the help it can. As to
deposits of coal, oil, and gas, permits to prospect for and leases to develop
must be secured through the United States Department of the Interior.

Along the streams within the national forests are many sites suitable
for development of electricity. These areas are open to occupancy for
such purposes and have the advantage of being on streams whose head-
waters are protected. The Government does not permit the monopoliza-
tion of power in any region or allow power sites to be held without prompt
development. Utilization and development of water powers in the
national forests are encouraged. The Federal Power Commission of the
United States is by law permitted to issue licenses for periods of not to
exceed 50 years, and such licenses may be renewed under certain con-
ditions.

The law authorizes the commission, other factors being equal, to
give preference to applications by States and municipalities, and between
other applicants the commission may give preference to the project
which is best adapted to develop, conserve, and utilize the navigation
and water resources of the region.

To make the national forests fully useful to the public, and also to
facilitate their administration and protection as Government properties,
it is necessary to build on them various classes of improvements. Some
of these are primarily for official use, as, for example, fire lookout sta-
tions, ranger stations, and telephone lines. Incidentally, many of the
improvements of this class are of material service to the public. Other
improvements are purely for the benefit of specific forms of public use,
as, for example, drift fences, stock-watering places, and public camp
grounds. Still others are put in both to facilitate the task of adminis-
tering and protecting the forests and to promote use and serve the
interests of the public generally.

Roads and trails are of course necessary for efficient protection of
the forests against fire, to enable forest officers to get about in the per-
formance of their tasks, and to open up the forests for users; but they
are also a great public convenience and necessity. ‘The Forest Service
cooperates with State and county officials, good-roads organizations,
and private individuals in the location, survey, construction, and main-
tenance of roads in the national forests. The road and trail construction
work is financed from appropriations under four different acts of

Congress.

14 THE UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE.

These funds may be expended within the national forests without
requiring cooperative contributions from the States or counties, but if
part of the work lies outside of the forest boundaries it is necessary that
the cooperative funds be provided. ‘Through cooperative arrangement
the road projects which require the supervision of engineers intensively
trained in highway engineering and coristruction are handled by the
Bureau of Public Roads. ‘The numerous road improvement and repair
projects required primarily for administrative and protective needs on
the national forests, together with trail building and maintenance, are
handled directly by the Forest Service and coordinated with fire control
as far as possible so that construction crews may be available in remote
areas of great fire hazard as part of the fire-suppression organization.
Twenty-five per cent of all receipts from national forests are returned —
by the Federal Treasury to the counties in which they lie, to be used
for schools and roads. Under one of the acts of Congress 10 per cent
is expended by the Secretary of Agriculture upon roads and trails con-
structed primarily for the benefit of settlers within the national forests.

For the complete and economical use of the forage on the forests it
is sometimes necessary to develop water or to construct drift fences,
bridges, trails, or other works. ‘The Forest Service allots funds for their
construction only when ‘the benefit to the forest plainly warrants the
expenditure. The use of funds for these purposes can often be made
more effective if the assistance and cooperation of interested stockmen
can be secured.

PROTECTION OF THE NATIONAL FORESTS.
FIRE DANGER.

Fire is an ever-present danger on the national forests. The great
size of the national forests compared with the number of the regular
patrol force, the difficulty of reaching remote areas across miles of
wilderness, the dry atmosphere and light rainfall in parts of the West,
the prevalence of lightning in the mountains, and the constant use of
fire in the daily life of the people and in the industries all combine to
make the hazard exceptional.

Among the chief causes that start forest fires are lightning, campers,
railroads, slash burning, incendiarism, and steam sawmills.

A small fire may spread into a conflagration. Fires, matches, and
burning tobacco should be used as carefully in the forest as they are ina
house. Carelessness in this respect may mean the loss of lives, houses,
stock, and forage, and of a vast amount of timber which belongs equally
to all citizens.

Fires may start in a region remote from supplies and water and reach
vast proportions before a party of fire fighters can get to the scene, no
matter how promptly the start is made. By far the best plan, therefore,

THE UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE. 15

A MILLION SPARK POWER.

You can prevent the conflagration requiring hundreds to fight. Break your match in two, Stamp out pipe
ashes, cigar butts, cigarette stubs. Quench your camp fire before you leave it. Burn your brush in

favorable weather.

16 THE UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE.

A SOURCE OF “WHITE COAL” AND “LIQUID GOLD.”

‘The forest cover has a very decided influence on the purity and abundance of water supply for power, for
irrigation, for domestic use. Many communities have entered into cooperative agreements with the
United States Forest Service for the better protection of the watersheds from which they get their
supplies.

THE UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE. 17)

is to prevent fires rather than to depend upon fighting them once they
start. This subject has been given the most earnest attention by the
Forest Service. During the danger season the main attention of super-
. visors and rangers is devoted to preventing fire. Extra men are em-
ployed, the forests are systematically patrolled, and a careful lookout
for fire is maintained from high points. Roads and trails are being built
~ so that all parts of the forests may be quickly reached. ‘Tools and food
for the use of fire fighters are stored at convenient places. The ranger
stations and lookout points are connected with the offices of the super-
visors by telephone, so that men may be quickly collected to fight danger-
ous fires which the patrolmen can not put out alone.

During the fire seasons of 1919, 1920, and 1921 the Air Service of the
United States Army and the Forest Service cooperated in the experimental
use of the airplane as a supplement to the lookout system in the prompt
detection of forest fires. Flying definite routes over the national forests,
the airplane observer scanned the country within view looking for the
tiny wisp of smoke which denotes the outbreak of fire. If a forest fire
was discovered, the alarm was then wirelessed to the nearest fire-fighting
headquarters, from which men were dispatched immediately. It has
been found that with the airplane supplementing the lookouts the period
of time between the origin of the fire and the arrival of the crew of fire
fighters is in many cases greatly reduced, resulting in smaller burned
acreages and consequently a smaller loss.

The cooperation of all forest users is earnestly sought in the work of
preventing and controlling fire. This can be accomplished by exercising
all care not to cause fires and by informing the nearest forest supervisor
or ranger of any fire which may be discovered.

The following simple rules for the handling of fire in the mountains are
suggested to all users of the forests which, if followed, will very materially
assist in the protection of the forests:

1. Matches.—Be sure your match is out. Break it in two before you
throw it away. .

2. Tobacco.—Throw pipe ashes and cigar or cigarette stumps in the
dust of the road and stamp or pinch out the fire before leaving them.
Do not throw them into brush, leaves, or needles.

3. Making camp.—Build a small camp fire. Build it in the open, not
against a tree or log or near brush. Scrape away the trash from all
around it.

4. Leaving camp.—Never leave a camp fire, even for a short time, with-
out quenching it with water or earth.

5. Bonfires.—Never build bonfires in windy weather or where there is
the slightest danger of their escaping from control. Do not make them
larger than you need.

6. Fighting fires.—If you find a fire, try to put it out. If you can not,
get word of it to the nearest United States forest ranger or State firewarden
at once. Keep in touch with the rangers.

18 UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE.

Since practically 60 per cent of the forest fires of known causes in the.
United States are due to human agencies, the most energetic efforts
have been made to bring home to the American public the importance
of care to prevent fires in the forest. The Forest Service is earnestly
seeking to lessen the number of man-caused fires in this way. As recrea-
tional use of the forests by the public increases and the local population
and activities of all kinds on and near the forests become greater, man-
caused fires are bound to become more numerous unless educational
methods can be made effective. The observance of forest fire-prevention
week has become general throughout the United States during the past
three years and is bringing to public attention the importance of pre-
venting fires and the precautions which it is necessary to observe in
order not to cause fires.

PROTECTION OF WATER SUPPLY.

Undoubtedly the greatest value of the mountain ranges of the country,
most of which are within national forests, lies in their influence upon the
regularity of the water supply. In many of the States the mountains
afford the main water supply for domestic use, for irrigation, and for the
development of power. The future development of the entire United
States, therefore, will depend upon the amount of water and the manner
in which it flows from the mountains.

The vegetal covering has a very decided influence on run-off. For
this reason Congress made the preservation of conditions favorable to
stream flow one of the principal objects in the establishment and admin-
istration of the national forests of the United States.

PROTECTION OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH.

Precautions are taken by forest officers to protect the public health.
All persons on national forest lands are liable to trespass proceedings if
insanitary conditions result from their presence. Forest officers enforce
compliance with regulations on the part of all campers, stockmen,
permittees, and other persons traveling through or occupying national
forest lands.

RECEIPTS FROM NATIONAL FORESTS.

The total net receipts from the national forests on account of sales
of timber, fees, for grazing of live-stock and for privilege of using Govern-
ment land during the fiscal years 1916 to 1921, inclusive, were as follows:

ECO Oe eer RIAD Cortes ina niCn ms Blame sau OB a0.0 ak $2,823,541
bab eee Ree ree nena ais PRR Gh ep COREE pF ahen, Heel Ont oltn6.o ol ciot 3,457,028
Oh: eT ee PMA Ce eta Le CI oe ko Niche tee 6 OG AIG vig od acemle 3,574,930
OE ko vee ee MA, Amen SMG ty Soca kroe ata boo sino tic co ob 4,358,415
boy 10 SRAaee RC ama be erin ter Hee iar aeicutAIn ot cicinry Ouow 6 ota 4,793,482

TQS Ts <2 Sec Ses Ba les ee oa A ee ere teen ne ene 4,468,940

UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE. 19

It could not be expected, of course, that rugged, inaccessible mountain
lands, such as constitute by far the greater part of the national forests,
would soon yield a revenue to the Government over and above the cost
of administration. Many of the forests are meant to supply the coun-
try’s future needs for timber, after the more accessible lands have been
cut over, rather than its present needs, while others are chiefly valuable
for watershed protection, which, though of the greatest importance to
the people and industries of the country, do not yield the Government a
return in dollars and cents. In the case of almost every forest, more-
over, a great deal of money must be spent for roads, trails, bridges, and
telephone lines before the resources can be used. Nevertheless, 91 of
the national forests paid their local operating costs in 1920.

* QUALIFICATIONS AND DUTIES OF FOREST OFFICERS.

All permanent positions in the Forest Service are in the classified civil
service. Vacancies are filled through selections from eligibles certified
by the United States Civil Service Commission and by promotion in rank.

Each national forest is in charge of a forest supervisor, who plans the
work on his forest under the instructions of the district forester and
supervises its execution. When the amount of business on a national
forest warrants it, the supervisor is assisted by a deputy supervisor, who
has such duties and authority as may be delegated to him by the super-
visor.

Forest supervisors and deputy supervisors have to be men of experience
in woods work, road and trail building, the stock business, and in all
other lines of work carried on in the national forests; so the positions are
always filled by the promotion or transfer of experienced men from
other classified positions in the Forest Service. Supervisors’ headquarters
are located in towns conveniently situated with regard to the forests.

Forest assistants are employed in the various subordinate lines of
technical and administrative work on the forests under the direction of
the supervisor. ‘The position of forest assistant is filled through a tech-
nical examination.

After a probationary period of not less than two years, forest assistants
who have rendered satisfactory service are given the designation of forest
examiners and assigned to such work as examining and mapping forest
areas, designating timber to be cut in sales, surveying boundaries, and
conducting nursery work and forest planting.

Every national forest is divided into ranger districts, with a district
ranger in charge of each. Rangers perform the routine work involved in
the supervision of sales of timber, use of the range by live stock, and the
free use of timber, and use by private persons of Government land. The
ranger also helps to build roads, trails, bridges, telephone lines, and other
permanent improvements on the forests. Physical soundness and endur-
ance are essential on account of the heavy labor and exposure involved

20 UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE.

in such work as building improvements and fighting fire. The forest
ranger must also know how to pack supplies and find food for himself and
his horse in a country where it is often scarce. The position of forest
ranger is filled through a civil-service examination, in which applicants
are rated on the basis of a written test and also according to their expe-
rience and fitness.

In addition to the different classes of forest officers mentioned, logging
engineers, lumbermen, scalers, and planting assistants are employed on
the forests in the work of timber appraisal, cruising, scaling, and forest
planting. Like all other permanent employees they are appointed only
after a civil-service examination.

Forest guards are temporary employees appointed during the seasons
of greatest fire danger.

On July 1, 1921, the force employed by the Forest Service numbered
4,238. Of these, about 3,289 were employed upon the national forests
as supervisors, deputy supervisors. rangers, guards, etc., and 949 were
engaged in administrative, scientific, and clerical work at the Washing-
ton and the eight district headquarters and the Forest Products Lab-
oratory.

FOREST OFFICERS AND THE PUBLIC.

When one wishes to make any use of the resources of the national
forests for which a permit is required he should consult the nearest forest
officer. Supervisors, rangers, and other forest officers carry out the ad-
ministrative policy prescribed for the national forests by Congress, as
embodied in the regulations made by the Secretary of Agriculture.
Forest officers of the United States are agents of the people and their
duty is to assist the public in making use of the resources of the forests.
They aim to prevent misunderstanding and violation of forest regulations
by timely and tactful advice rather than to follow up violations by the
exercise of their authority. Forest users aid greatly in the efficient
performance of the public business by according to forest officers the
same frankness, consideration, and courtesy which the forest officers are
expected to show them.

THE EXTENSION OF FORESTRY PRACTICE.

While the greatness of the national forest enterprise of the United
States and the prominence accorded its accomplishments have been un-
usual, there still remains much to be accomplished before the problem
of forestry in North America is solved. The Government-owned na-
tional forests contain only about one-sixth of the forest area of the United
States, and little more than one-fifth of the standing saw timber. Pri-
vate owners hold seven-tenths of the timberland of the United States.
The amount of material which is actually placed on the market from the
national forests amounts to only about 3 per cent of the entire consump-

UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE.

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22 UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE.

tion of the country. The remainder comes from private lands. While
the proportion will be altered in the future, the country must still look to
private lands for a large part of its forest supplies.

The public forestry in the United States has made vast strides; but the
forests of the country that are in private hands are being depleted with
very great rapidity, and almost everything without effort to renew them.
A grave situation is becoming manifest in various ways, and the problem
presented is one that can be solved only by public action. The general
practice of forestry on privately owned lands in the United States will not
take place through unstimulated private initiative.

A study made in 1920 by the Forest Service, in response to a Senate
resolution calling for a report on timber depletion, lumber prices, lumber
exports, and concentration of timber ownership, showed that over two-
thirds of the original forests of the United States have been culled, cut
over, or burned, and that three-fifths of their merchantable timber is
gone. The country is losing about 26,000,000,000 cubic feet of wood
annually from its forests and is growing but 6,000,000,000 feet. Every
class of timber is being cut, even trees too small for the sawmill, much
faster than it is being replaced.

There are still large supplies of timber in the United States, but they
are not in the right place. Sixty-one per ‘cent of what is left lies west of.
the Great Plains, far from the bulk of the population, agriculture, and
factories. ‘The distance between the average sawmill and the average
home builder is steadily increasing, and the United States shall soon be
dependent for the bulk of its construction lumber upon the forests along
the Pacific coast.

FOREST RESEARCH.

Besides administering the national forests, the Forest Service conducts
many investigations relating to the protection, growth, and management
of forests, to the utilization of their products, and to their place in the
economic life of the Nation. The research work is not limited to prob-
lems which directly concern the management of the national forests.
Its object is to promote the best use of the forest resources of the United
States, whether in public or private ownership. This means both the
general practice of forestry and the most intelligent use of forest products
of all kinds, especially wood products. The investigations concern
forest management, grazing, forest products, and forest economics.

Investigations in forest management aim at obtaining more thorough
knowledge of the forest resource and its benefits. At various forest
experiment stations intensive studies are made of such things as the rates
of growth and requirements of the different tree species, what methods of
cutting will be followed by the best reproduction of the most desirable
kinds of trees under varying conditions, the best methods of nursery
practice and of field sowing and planting, and how best to protect the

UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE. 23

forests from fire and other damaging agencies. The relation of forests to
climate, stream flow, and erosion are also investigated. The forest ex-
periment stations are so located as to afford a wide range of conditions in
different parts of the country. They are supplemented by diversified
field studies which round out a systematic search for the basic knowledge
required to make our forests fully productive.

Similarly, the investigations in forest economics furnish information
promotive of forestry and the best adjustment of supply and demand
through inquiries that throw light on market requirements, prices, and
tendencies, and on probable future needs as the country grows. Statis-
tics are collected on the prices of lumber and other important forest
products, and on the use of the products by the various industries.
Studies are made of current economic conditions in the wood-using
industries, including such factors as production, consumption, stocks on
hand, exports and imports, labor problems, and transportation. Data
are secured on the forest resources of North and South America and other
countries, the effect of timber depletion on industrial and community
development, the relation between forest taxation and the practice of
forestry, and similar economic problems.

Grazing investigations have to do with improving the annual crop of
grasses and forage plants and securing the fullest and best use of this re-
source. Studies are made of artificial and natural reseeding of the range;
of the feed value of the various forage plants, and where they grow; of
the best methods of handling stock on the range; of water development
for stock and the relation between the frequency of watering places and
the welfare of the range and the stock; of the eradication of poisonous
plants; and of the effect of grazing on forest reproduction, on erosion,
and on stream flow. ‘These investigations are both experimental and gen-
eral. Experimental work is carried on mainly at the Great Basin
Forest Experiment Station on the Manti National Forest in Utah, the
Jornada Range Reserve in New Mexico, and the Santa Rita Range Re-
serve in southern Arizona. The general studies concern the actual man-
agement of the range, and are made where particular problems come up
in connection with grazing on the national forests.

In forestry it is just as important to know what to grow as how to grow,
and just as important to make the most of what is produced as to make
the forests produce more material for consumption. ‘The investigations
in forest products closely interlock with those in forest management.
Their object is to bring production and consumption into the most ad-
vantageous adjustment, from the standpoint of public welfare, through
study on the one hand of the raw material that the forests produce and
on the other hand of the requirements of our industries and their processes
of manufacture.

24 UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE.

The bulk of this work on forest products is centered at the Forest
Products Laboratory at Madison, State of Wisconsin, maintained in
cooperation with the University of Wisconsin.

PRACTICAL INFORMATION ABOUT WOODLANDS AND FOREST PRODUCTS. .

The Forest Service does all that it can to put its information at the
service of the public and get what it has found out into practice. Besides
publishing its results in helpful, practical form, it furnishes information,
advice, and cooperation to the extent of its ability.

Timberland owners, farmers who have woodlands, other small owners,
and persons wishing information on tree planting for timber production,
windbreaks, shelter belts, and the like are given such data as the Service
has available applicable to their special needs. For the benefit of
farmers and other small owners, information has been gathered, and
may be had on application, concerning the marketing of timber in
relatively small quantities. By devoting land of relatively low agri-
cultural value to timber growing, applying intelligent methods of pro-
duction, and marketing to advantage, many farmers could add sub-
stantially to their income. In those States which have State foresters,
however, these officers are ordinarily better sources of information
regarding local conditions and the best methods of forestry practice for
the individual to use than is the Forest Service. Applicants for in-
formation and advice who are residents of such States are therefore
customarily referred to the proper State official for better attention to
their specific needs.

Information on such matters as the properties and uses of wood,
wood seasoning, and preservative treatment, and methods of obtaining
or utilizing forest products of any kind is obtainable from the Forest
Products Laboratory at Madison, Wis., where investigations of this
character are centered. Cooperation is sought particularly with the
wood-using industries for the solution of their problems and the appli-
cation of results. Examinations may be made, on request, of the
methods of individuals, companies, and corporations in handling forest
products, and plans may be prepared for improved methods, if it is
judged that this will reduce waste in utilizing forest products and will
secure information useful generally in the industry concerned to a degree
sufficient to justify the project.

PUBLICATIONS.

To facilitate widespread diffusion of useful knowledge relating to
forests, forestry, and forest products, to promote increased use of the
national forests, and to obtain the fullest possible cooperation of the
North American public in their protection, the Forest Service has issued
a large number of publications. Its purpose is to make available as

UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE. 25

promptly as possible, through publications, all new results of research
work of value to scientists, foresters, timberland owners, farmers, lum-
bermen, or the woodworking and allied industries. Some of these
publications may be had free of charge. Others are sold, usually at a
low price, by the Superintendent of Documents, Government Printing
Office, Washington, D. C., from whom price lists may be had free on
application.

PHOTOGRAPHS, LANTERN SLIDES, AND EXHIBITS.

The Forest Service has a considerable collection of photographs
showing forest conditions and illustrative of forest utilization and
forestry generally in all parts of the United States of America. This
collection is open to the public for consultation. To the extent that
the limited facilities for producing photographic work permit, photo-
graphic prints, lantern slides, and forest maps are furnished for educa-
tional purposes, through loan or sale. When sold the charge made is
required by law to be cost plus 10 per cent. Prints are furnished for use
in illustrating material to be published in newspapers or other periodicals,
and for use in book illustrations. Lantern slides and bromide enlarge-
ments may be furnished for use in educational work by lecturers and
schools, and for exhibit purposes. The object in every case is to diffuse
information concerning forestry.

Advice and assistance is given authors and publishers of textbooks
having to do with forests and forestry, if desired.

Traveling exhibits of the following material are lent for short periods
of time without cost, except for transportation, to schools, libraries,
and other educational institutions:

I. Sets of mounted photographs illustrating the subjects of forestry,
nature study, farm woodlands, etc.

2. Specimens of commercial wood species, with maps and other
information.

3. Sets of lantern slides, accompanied by lecture outlines, on general
forestry, the work of the Forest Service, and forestry in its relation to
farm woodlands, nature study, geography, manual training, etc.

The Forest Service maintains a considerable amount of material for use
in making exhibits at agricultural fairs and expositions, both in coopera-
tion with other bureaus of the Government and independently. A
number of motion-picture films, showing the work on the national
forests, are available for loans.

Particular attention is given to enlisting the interest and cooperation
of the public in the prevention and control of forest fires and in the
extension of the practice of forestry by private owners, and wide use
of the national forests is promoted by directing the preparation and
diffusion of information having this end in view.

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