(6) An increase of $100,000 for grazing surveys and plans.-Time and effort by district rangers and higher officers charged with general land-management responsibilities will not meet the existing acute problems arising from continued drought, pent-up demands due to the policy of providing adequately for small owners only at 10-year intervals, and threats of a recurrence of overproduction. Expert investigation, inventories, and forecasts are required. Seemingly irreconcilable conflicts between the claims of different types of land use must be handled by surveys and investigations by experienced range specialists.

The increase requested is required in any balanced effort to put the grazing use of National Forests on a sound basis. Effective work under this item requires small, skilled, mobile crews not obtainable under emergency allotments.

(7) An increase of $100,000 for recreation and land use.—The very nature, extent, and geographic distribution of the National Forests subjects them to a very large volume and wide variety of public uses and services supplemental to their primary functions of timber, forage, and wildlife production, streamflow stabilization, and soil-erosion control. Refusal to allow such supplemental uses would create serious social and economic hardships; but, unless they are carefully supervised, they would adversely affect public interests and property to an alarming degree. This increase is therefore to provide the absolutely essential administrative machinery for such supervision and control, the need for which progressively increases with each succeeding year.

The use which in point of numbers and distribution is of paramount importance is the public recreational use, now 12 times as great as it was in 1917. Over 58,000,000 people visited or passed through the national forests in 1935, and probable increases in leisure time, both voluntary and enforced, promise still further to increase the numbers of national-forest visitors. If widely diffused throughout the forests and without adequate supervision, these vast numbers of people would create impossible hazards to public health and property; but, subject to simple principles of direction and supervision, their occupancy is in all respects desirable. Direction and supervision should not be arbitrary or coercive but rather promoted by provision of suitable campgrounds adequately policed, which minimize hazards to public health and property. Within the national forests there are over 4,200 areas recognized as chiefly valuable for public campground purposes, of which about 3,000 now contain some facilities for sanitation and fire control, although not all are fully equipped. The attention hitherto given recreational occupancy has been inadequate.

During the fiscal year 1934 there were outstanding 37,696 permits authorizing occupancy of national-forest lands for summer home, resort, industrial, commercial, and other purposes. Such uses should receive continuing supervision to guarantee against conflict with higher public interests and to promote the fullest realization of the social and economic values of the publicly owned lands. These forms of use and occupancy also are increasing in numbers and in requirements of administration and must receive increased attention by the field personnel. A moderatesized continuing program is more and more a necessity. Emergency allotments are not well adapted to this need.

(8) An increase of $50,000 for recreational surveys and plans.-Widely distributed throughout the National Forests, but integrated therewith and demanding management in common with surrounding and related lands, are many areas of high scenic, inspirational, and recreational quality. These are public heritages which with the passing years and the profound changes occurring elsewhere will ultimately be of surpassing social and economic importance. The provision by other means of similar service to the public would require outlays of many millions of dollars for purchase and development.

Such areas are, however, subject to many hazards of unplanned occupancy or of industrial uses conflicting with their intrinsic inspirational and esthetic values. Current demands for rights-of-way, uses of natural resources, forms of lands occupancy, etc., in the absence of carefully prepared plans, readily might impair the inherent potentialities of such areas and result in ultimate losses of incalculable proportions. To avert such possibilities careful surveys, inventories, and plans of development should be executed without further delay. The problems involved are technical in character and the work should be done by technically qualified personnel, such as landscape architects, experts in mass recreational management, and engineers skilled in dealing with natural elements. A total of 15 such technicians could be so employed effectively, in addition to the men required to handle the administrative phases of the work. This item requires small crews of specialized personnel, or individual officers, not obtainable under emergency allotments.

(9) An increase of $150,000 for fish and game protection.-The present administration has focused public attention on the use and abuses of land. As a general result of the leadership exercised in this field, the Federal Government is expected to demonstrate its conclusions by application of sound plans of land use. Being the largest owner of land, it has ample opportunity to meet the expectancy of its shareholders, the general public. No better opportunity exists than is afforded by the use of national-forest land for the production of game. This is a virgin field in which the Federal Government can set the example for millions of other land owners. It has the advantage of most private land owners, since the problem was early recognized by the Forest Service and the more elementary forms of protection to wildlife applied at the beginning of forest administration.

As time passed, more knowledge was acquired and more intensive protection was accorded. Under early legal interpretations, however, all protective work recognized the State as having exclusive jurisdiction. The activities of the Government, therefore, were restricted to the development of a favorable public sentiment for game protection and, through cooperatilon with the States, the establishment of State refuges and Federal refuges and the enforcement of State laws. This cooperative effort has succeeded in maintaining a fair breeding stock in some localities, restocking others, and in actually overpopulating large areas inaccessible to modern means of transportation.

By and large, the total wildlife on the national forests has increased, but experience has demonstrated that we are a long way from any systematic plan which would deal with specific areas and the possibility of maintaining wildlife at the full productive capacity of the range. Having a breeding stock already available, and in the face of still further increase, an adequate protective force becomes imperative as the initial step in meeting the justified public demands for better administration. This is essentially true because of the expanded territory in which wildlife is becoming a more acute problem, the ever-increasing human occupancy of the area resulting in a greater number of law violations, and the very urgent necessity of better feed and cover protection on numerous but restricted winter feeding areas. Obviously, a force no more than sufficient to perform the regular administrative duties can give only incidental time to the enforcement of protective laws or developing ways and means of combating the ravages on wildlife by predatory animals, climatic conditions, etc. If, therefore, the Federal Government wishes to demonstrate one phase of successful land use by the development of the wildlife resource for the benefit of all the public, such provision as contemplated by this item must be made. Specialized, skilled personnel permanently assigned to this activity is essential. Such personnel and conditions of employment are not obtainable from emergency allotments.

(10) An increase of $50,000 for fish and game surveys and plans.-Successful land-use plans can be developed only by intensive surveys. The same need for surveys to determine the amount and character of our wildlife range exists as for domestic livestock, timber, or other resources. Yet over 80 million acres of potential wildlife range on the National Forests have had no such attention and only general knowledge exists as to the potentialities in wildlife production. These contemplated surveys are comparable to those made on ranges used for domestic livestock. They secure fundamental data on the feed resources adaptable to wildlife. After a determination of the amount and character of feed, its carrying capacity, the existing population of wildlife, and the general conditions prevailing, the data are supplemented and coordinated with facts resulting from research by the Biological Survey on the food and breeding habits, disease, predatory animals, and parasites of the various species of wildlife involved. These data form the basis of management plans of each of the natural units of range, which, when formulated, prescribe the optimum number of wildlife to be allowed, the protection needed, the extent to which predatory animals will be controlled, the relation of one species to another, the number and sex to be removed each year, the areas to be closed to hunting, and the season during which hunting may be allowed on other areas. Where hunting is permitted, the necessary regulations on numbers of hunters and their bag limits are prescribed. In brief, management of wildlife ranges consists of applying the same principles which have been developed by years of study, research, and experience on ranges used by domestic livestock. The necessary data obtained by surveys of the forage are essential, however, to the application of these principles and in no way conflict with the work of the Biological Survey. The latter covers the investigative or research field; the former merely applies a forage survey technique developed and used by the Forest Service for a great many years.

The need for this increase is emphasized by the facts that 75 percent of the biggame range in the West is on the national forests; that these areas contain the principal fishing streams which are capable of the same intensive management as the land; that the best and largest areas for fur production are on national forests; that the land is all Federal property; that the sentiment of both Congress and the administration has been expressed by the Secretary of Agriculture in promulgating a regulation which imposes upon the Forest Service increased responsibilities in the protection and development of the wildlife resource. Such specialized surveys, requiring carefully selected personnel, have not been possible under past emergency allotments. A regular budgetary basis is required.

(11) An increase of $200,000 for construction of structural improvements.—This increase is requested for the purpose of constructing high-priority protective, administrative, and campground improvements wnich it has not been possible to construct under the various emergency relief and Emergency Conservation Work programs. While a minor percentage of this total will be used for administrative and protective improvements, the most pressing need at the present time is for the construction of sanitary, fire protective, and housing facilities on public campgrounds.

The numbers of persons visiting or passing through the national forests yearly now exceed 58,000,000. Their indiscriminate occupancy of the national forests would create serious hazards to public health and pub.ic property. It would be equally tragic to deny so many citizens the right to use and enjoy the public properties in ways conducive to good citizenship and health. The situation is best met by encouraging voluntary concentrations of the visitors in areas where provision can be made for sanitation and fire control. This has been done by the establishment of public campgrounds, which now number about 4,200. encourage use of such campgrounds it is necessary to equip them with the facilities essential to comfort and safety. Some 3,000 campgrounds have thus been equipped at least in part, and the remainder should be similarly improved without further delay.

To

Due to limited funds, the campground improvements hitherto established have been of types far below the standards which should prevail. Additionally, they consist only of utilities requisite to sanitation, fire control, etc., and do not include many of the requirements of modern outdoor life, such as simple cabins, lodges, community centers, shelters, etc., through which the American people could most fully enjoy the recreational potentialities of the public forests. Steps should be initiated promptly to install improvements which in variety of services in numbers, and in standards of excellence approximate the real requirements of the visiting public.

Such a program would do much to enhance the human values of the national forests and increase their usefulness to the citizens of the Nation. It would also create a field for the constructive employment of thousands of men who otherwise would be dependent upon public relief. Work relief of the character which would be provided by such a program would cost less than direct relief, would preserve the respect and moral courage of the beneficiaries, and would leave the Nation endowed with a recreational plant of tremendous social and monetary value. Every circumstance supports the conclusion that such improvements sooner or later must be installed. By initiating the necessary program without delay, its net cost can be infinitely diminished, since the expenditures required would in large measure be offset by savings in relief costs.

(12) An increase of $966,706 for maintenance of structural improvements.-This increase is requested for the purpose of maintaining the buildings, telephone lines, fences, water development projects, etc., with which the national forests are equipped. While the system of fire control, administrative, range, and recreational improvements on the national forests is not complete, large increases have been made in the varied forms of structure and plant required for successful management of these resources, and the investment will be jeopardized unless provision is made for the simple maintenance required.

Protection of national timber resources, including large areas which have been replanted, requires that before the beginning of each fire season telephone lines be gone over and put in working shape and damage to structures be repaired. Camp grounds must be cleaned up and put in usable shape and their fire-preventive safeguards freshly overhauled. Fences needed for prevention of trespass and for control of range stock must be repaired annually if they are to serve the purposes for which they were constructed. If maintenance is not kept up, an enormous eventual bill for replacements must be met or the investment abandoned. Due to uncontrollable causes of yearly damage, such as breakage

by snow, wind, and water, and usual or normal breakage or damage by stock, the year-by-year efficiency of improvements is greatly impaired and the investment eventually lost unless annual repair is provided.

(13) An increase of $200,000 for nonstructural improvements. This increase will be used for improvements of the nonstructural type which are so located as to be unreachable by C. C. C. crews working in 200-man camps, such as firebreaks in the more remote areas, snag falling in areas not reached by roads for the purpose of establishing advance fire-control lines, and stream improvements. The work will consist chiefly of simple nonstructural developments which will greatly increase the servcies rendered by the land to the general public.

(14) An increase of $50,000 for general surveys and maps. With the larger Forest Service organization and the expansion in its activities and area, mapping information is more greatly needed and is utilized far more extensively than in the past. Also the demands for miscellaneous drafting and photographic reproduction are much greater than in earlier years. To meet the current needs,. more surveys must be made and maps for new units and revised maps for established national forests must be compiled and reproduced. The regular appropriations hitherto available are much too small to satisfy requirements that must be met.

Considerable areas within the national forests still lack maps of any dependable kind, and this is preventing the development of adequate fire detection and suppression facilities.

Aerial photographs have proven of inestimable value not only in the preparation of maps but for many activities necessary to Forest administration, protection, and utilization. No regular appropriation has hitherto been available to the Forest Service for this project, but through utilizing emergency appropriations the value of the work and the justification for the expenditure have been thoroughly demonstrated. Discontinuance of this work would be a serious loss.

CHANGE IN LANGUAGE

The transfer of the Wichita National Forest to the Bureau of Biological Survey makes it unnecessary to include the State of Oklahoma in the item for region 2. Provision for the herd of long-horned cattle in that forest is also eliminated from the item for the same reason.

Puerto Rico is included in the item for region 8, instead of in region 7 as before, because of the transfer of the national forest in that territory to region 8.

North Dakota has been added to the item for region 9, as a purchase unit, which has been established there, has been included in that region.

The proviso under region 9 setting aside $1,000 for maintenance of the dam at Cass Lake, Minn., is eliminated. This dam is now within the exterior boundaries of the Chippewa National Forest and it is, therefore, no longer necessary to make specific provision for its repair and maintenance.

WORK DONE UNDER THIS APPROPRIATION

General. This appropriation covers all field activities relating to the administration, protection, and development of the national forests, except the special appropriations for the construction of roads and trails under the Federal Highway Act and the act authorizing the expenditure of 10 percent of national forest receipts for this purpose; the acquisition of additional forest lands under the act of March 1, 1911; emergency expenditures for fire suppression; and expenditures from funds deposited to the credit of the Forest Service by counties, States, associations, and individuals for fire prevention and suppression, brush disposal, construction and maintenance of improvements, and reforestation.

While the description of the work done under this appropriation appears under the work project headings, it should be recalled that a large percentage of the personnel paid from this appropriation are unit managers of ranger districts, national forests, and national-forest regions who participate to varying degrees in all of the projects listed in these estimates. The need for these men and their general assistants is determined by the composite job load on the unit adminisvered. The amount set aside for the salaries and expenses of these men and other general expenses such as rent, telephone and telegraph, etc., has been given the designation "Field operating organization" and will be so referred to in the following paragraphs.

Timber use.-' -The total stand of national-forest timber of saw-timber size is estimated to be 552 billion board feet, of which 357 billion are in the three Pacific

Coast States and 189 billion in the Rocky Mountain States. The act of June 4, 1897, provides for the sale of the timber crop.

To derive the greatest benefit from the timber resource the mature or overmature timber must be cut. Timber, like any other crop, needs to be harvested. The cutting is done along definitely prescribed plans to improve the future stand, to gradually increase the productiveness of the timberland, and to obtain a steady and continuous yield of wood products best suited for the public need.

The disposal of national-forest timber is controlled by formal statements of policy which define the market to be served, the policy for the sale of the timber, and the general silvicultural methods to be followed in its cutting. When utilization becomes intensive, a detailed management plan is prepared which defines the order in which the various parts of the area will be cut, the silvicultural methods to be followed, and the limitation of cut necessary to maintain the output on a sustained yield basis. Generally speaking, the mature and overmature trees and also less desirable species are selected for cutting, leaving thrifty young desirable trees for growth and later cutting when they are in turn mature. Thus the cutting of national-forest timber is systematized under measures designed both to improve and perpetuate the stand.

In addition to timber that is sold for commercial purposes, dead timber is also furnished free in limited amounts to bona-fide settlers, miners, residents, and prospectors for minerals, and for firewood, fencing, building, mining, prospecting, and domestic purposes. Green timber is furnished free where the cutting will benefit the timber stand. In addition, sales at cost of administration, under special legal provision, are made to homestead settlers and farmers for material needed for the farm.

This project also includes the time and expenses of Forest Service personnel engaged in the effort to encourage sustained yield management on privately owned forest lands.

Forest-fire prevention and preparedness or presuppression.-Practically every employee paid from this appropriation contributes in some degree to this project. The act of June 4, 1897, originally provided for the protection of the national forests from fire. Appropriations were small, however, and for years very little was done beyond the efforts of the permanent force of employees. The disas trous forest-fire year of 1910 brought about a recognition of the size of the problem, and the present system of organized fire control dates back to that year.

The fire-prevention activity is carried on by apprehending and prosecuting persons responsible for starting fires, by requiring visitors to equip themselves with fire-fighting tools, by the partial or entire closing of national forests to public travel during dangerous periods, by "fireproofing" campgrounds, by the concentration of campers on public campgrounds, by prohibiting smoking and camping at other than established campgrounds, by registering and cautioning tourists, by clearing road rights-of-way, and through news items, radio programs, motion pictures, exhibits, lectures, admonitory signs, and distribution of pamphlets and other literature.

The task of controlling forest fires is largely one of advance preparation. Inasmuch as the fire-control problem is one of high priority, practically all the members of the permanent organization are available for fire duty. In addition, approximately 3,300 temporary men (a total of 5,575 are provided for in these estimates) are employed during the fire season and are stationed at strategic points through the forests where they act as lookouts, "smoke chasers", or patrolmen.

The lookouts are stationed at points which overlook large areas of forest land. These men are tied in by telephone to ranger district headquarters. They watch for fires and notify district rangers of the location of the fires. Smoke chasers are stationed on roads or trails and are also tied in by telephone to ranger district headquarters, and when fires are reported the smoke chasers are dispatched to the fire. Patrolmen both detect and suppress the fires which occur along their patrol routes.

Before the fire season opens complete plans are prepared, which include maps showing transportation and communication systems, areas visible from lookout stations, areas of greatest fire hazard, etc. Organization charts are also prepared showing location of all available manpower, including permanent and temporary employees, road and other crews, settlers and ranchers, sawmill and logging camp operators, etc. Similar information is included for the tools, equipment, and food supplies which may be needed if large crews are required for suppressing fires. Cooperative agreements are entered into with all agencies in the vicinity of the National Forest which may be of assistance in controlling