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Show Ill FORESTER PINCHOT DISCUSSES J VALUE OF FOREST RESERVES m Special to Tho Tribune. If WASHINGTON, D. C, March 19. "Bo-I "Bo-I foro any discussion of the forest reserve ijl question In tho West there should be a .1 clear understanding of tho Government's ft! policy la creating and managing these rc-M rc-M servos," Bald Mr. GIfford Plnchot, forester f of tho bureau of forestry, to The Tribune b representative today: f "Through lgnoranco of this policy, pos-B. pos-B. slbly Justified ln somo measure by occa-f occa-f j sional mistaken Interpretation of it by if over-zealous or incompetent officials, ' many clUzcn3 havo objections to reserves rij which they would be tho first to drop If ! j thoy understood tho truo Hltuatlon. Tho 1 ; Government has but ono aim In creating forest reserves tho best permanent use of tho land by tho peoplo and tho prevention i of waste of any of Its resources. '. "Tho possible uses of most forest areas are manifold. They may lncludo the pro- ' ductlon of lumber, or of mineral, or of pasture, or tho conservation of wntcr. ' Ono of these functions may bo tho most important or all may bo fairly well bal- ( anced, but In any case tho industries and resources of a region, or a State, should ' he considered as parts of a whole, each .Jl contributing to and sharing tho general a I good. Practically every important Industry Indus-try in the Intermountaln States, whether mining, agriculture, grazing, or lumbering, lumber-ing, dcpendB' for Its exlstenco upon the forests of these States, and tho forests can servo all these Interests best only If placed under a management which will prevent undue promotion of one at the expense of the aggregate good of all. RAID OF BOOMERS. "A trip through the white pine Slates of the Great Lakes region, or through a hundred hun-dred other once forested districts of the world, will convince any man of the shortsighted short-sighted abuse of timber resources, and of the effect of attendant forest fires on permanent per-manent prosperity. For a while times are good, towns and railroads are built, farms aro cleared, and prosperity Is evident werj where, but It does not lasL Only the 8) ?ni' worth of poorer material, which ln H flS Umo would be worth quite as much. Is &JK uestroyed by fires. These fires also kill all A a voung growth and seed trees and eventu- iilly turn tho land Into a desert, which Is j Ju abandoned by Its owners and does not IKI even pay taxes. The mills are moved HPvI away, the town3 abandoned, tho farmers iiH fln1 themselves without a market, and tho H ' c ntcrprlacs, and sometimes even tho coun-I coun-I ! tks, which were built upon such unstable, 'fl foundations, become bankrupt. This is I vl not theory. It Is history written In lumber I 'mm district after lumber district, not only all II over the United Slates, but throughout 1 "The lumbermen were not to blame; It -fa was only tho natural outcome of condl- ?! I lions which obliged them to conduct their A business In this way or lose money. The 9 private owner of timber often cannot af- ffl ford to do otherwise. But tho Government JJ can, and this is the reason why every clv- 2 lllzed country ln the world, including our jg own, has adopted the forest reserve sys-m sys-m tern. . S "If sufficiently largo and wcll-dlstrlbut- l9! cd areas can bo held as reserves, only the 3 mature timber cut, and tho young growth HI protected from fires, there is no reason jSI why lumbering should not be a perma- 91 nent and profitable Industry. Small mills. 9M scattered over the timber districts, will 3M perpetuate local prosperity, and the prlco wm of lumber to the resident will be low, am Without reserves the present tendency to- fiW ward syndicate ownership of all commer- 19 clal timber Is apt to result not only in IB wasteful use. but ln the disappearance of am tho small mill and ln high prices for lum- $H IMPORTANT TO MINERS. JH "Almost If not quite as important is tho ffl relation of forest reserves to mining, n which absolutely requires an Immense hH amount of timber and a sustained supply HJ of water. In all cases Its profits depend IB directly upon tho cheapness of these'eom- $ modltles. Without protection from fire, Ml and from enterprising lumbermen who nj may acquire nil the timber around them nj and ship it out of the States, many lm- ( portant mining camps are certain to bo In serious straits In a few years. jS "Ono of the objects of forest reserves Is . to preserve the limber for its logical users. Reserves do not make. It more difficult fpr miners to secure timber, for prospectors aro allowed freo use of all they need and V large concerns can purchase as cheap or cheaper than from private speculators. m. There Is no Intention of working hardship w on legitimate Industries, for the desire Is K simply to secure the following objects; Maintenance of the area Intact under ono B management; establishment of llro pro-1 pro-1 tcctlon; preservation of resources for lo-m lo-m cal use; regulation, as far as practicable, )l8f of srazlns and timber cutting bo as to 1 nrcvcnt waste and utilize the full produc tion of forest and range; protection of young growth so as to lnsuro a futuro supply sup-ply "Prospecting and locating of mining claims arc ln no way Interfered with by reserve .regulations, for tho mining laws apply exactly as on tho public domain. Settlers and others are allowed free all tho timber thoy use- Reservoirs, roads, stores, and similar enterprises aro permitted permit-ted upon application Grazing by sheop and cattle la permitted with only such restrictions re-strictions as prove necessary to prcsorvo the range and protect settlers, or others having rights of priority and equity, from outsldo competition. CHANGES PROMISED. "Whllo It Is true that many of tho earlier reserves were established without Investigation Investi-gation sufficient to prevent the inclusion of some agricultural land, this Is Impossible Impossi-ble under the present system. Now tho land Is carefully examined and mapped and tho lines are drawn to exclude all considerable areas susceptible of settlement. settle-ment. Small agricultural areas aro provided pro-vided for ln the legislation Just recommended recom-mended by tho Public Lands Commission, This system removes ono of the strongest arguments which has been mado against reserves. A no less welcome change will be the proposed new policy of reducing control from Washington to a minimum and placing more authority In tho hands of local officers who are familiar with their State conditions, and will thus bo freo to conduct tho business promptly and acceptably to tho people, unhampered by red tape, unnecessary restrictions, and delay. de-lay. To accomplish this end a bill has been Introduced ln Congress to transfer tho reserve management to tho bureau of forestry, In the Department of Agriculture, Agricul-ture, and Its passage will result In an Immediate Im-mediate rovlslon of the many cumbersome and restricting regulations which havo caused dissatisfaction. These two changes will remove practically all objections which' are now urged against forest reserves. re-serves. In short, tho object of the Government Gov-ernment Is not to blot these areas off tho map, but to protect them from fire and manage them so the peoplo can get more from them than they do now." |