Show yOtt 1 Kov emment vern ment forest work in it athe he intermountain region jq U A by forest supervisor W M riddle widtsoe soe utah ny of the early settlers of intermountain region yet laining ain 1 i dign will recall thi many agin 9 in stands stana of western yellow jl e elodge lodge pole pine douglas dougla fir tl S spruce the excellent range kitiona di dit tiona ions the abundance of game emals mals the beautiful mountain cam cain of clear sparkling wa water ter eding inding their way into the unde loped fertile valleys below and I 1 these streams stream the existence of e c native trout in plentiful num rs they will tee recall all too their on all these natural sources for actual existence the lie ambition of men coupled th his every day N struggle for a eli hood has in this short period ought about many marked anges ages many of the once vir lei I 1 stands of the beautiful timber ill h roads and trails now leading io 0 them plainly show the early buggle of the pi pioneer 1 in his ef rt t to secure material for building ir poses the mountain ranges lere ere choice forage plants grew toua touched hed except by the various me e animals then occupying the go now show heavy use by bestic estic aili animals mals the clear lkling stream where fish grew I 1 countless nun numbers ibers have been 1 averted f from rona their naturi nat urial al chan ils s and the water made to serve lingher purpose V sin in considering these maev many rias auges I 1 am wonder wondering inq I 1 if f we ve ive 4 given sufficient thought to lure generations admittedly e intermountain region as a ole liole is tin an ideal place to live lie e once undeveloped fertile lands lave ave been tilled and worked to a otate ate P of high productivity alty beau 1 l erful ful cities towns and homes are bw W in in evidence where the tepee 1 ith the native inhabitant once sited ted this vast area notwithstanding all this we have come to it alize that the natural resources chich ich played such a great part in he of the vast alth we can truly boast of ba has een an badly misused in various 1 ji I 1 r ways lumbering operations were carried on with little or no nc thought ht of future growth this Is L coupled with the heavy demand that is grad gradually itally increasing throughout the nation and th the c heavy annual loss by fire threatens us with a timber shortage with in from 40 to 50 60 years fish and game have diminished considerably some soine of the species have become entirely extinct however the many game species so necessary in serving erving fa the needs of the early settlers are no longer an absolute necessity dOn domestic lestic animals ini mals h having taken their place as essential meat foods but the b bagging of game ya offers a means of recreation so much needed by the ever busy citizen of the region and there are many nooks where game animals will thrive and increase if tendered proper protection mountain streams before emerging into the valleys below where made to serve a higher purpose than for tile prorogation of fish c can an yet be made to a afford an abundance of ex excellent fishing ashing much has and can be done towards this end but there are things I 1 fear many of us have entirely overlooked edin in the mad desire to satisfy our every want through the steady bui building iding up tip period the settlers began to raise sheep and cattle the enterprise enter prize being one of 0 the fundamentals in the fhe tion of ane wealth it now possesses the small flocks gr gradually gra dully increased in number resulting in full utilization of the forage resources and in many places over utilization to an extent that over overgrazed grazed and denuded areas are now in evidence the first national forest to exist in the region was vas created by presidential proclamation in 1905 p following this other forest were created until now practically the entire timbered area within the region is administered as aa a national forest by the forest sor ser vice a branch of the department of agriculture the main object in creating thead forests was to insure a perpetual supply of timber to preserve the forest cover which regulates the flow of streams and provides for the use of all resources which the forest contain policies were put into effect allowing the f fullest ill lost possible use of the dorest resources consistent with their protection and perpetuation so essential in the further development of the region rind and establishing permanency in in the lumber and livestock industries gi grazing abing is permitted to the extent x that full utilization of the forage resources is being had cooperation from the stockmen stoc kmen in carrying out the imp proved grazing mana management gemen t pa plans ans will undoubtedly increase the carrying capacity of the range for which the development of the region has brought about increased demand destruction and wasteful methods in the removal of timber imber from the for forest est have been eliminated to eliminate as far as possible loss from forest fireck fires have been expended durs dur ing the last 16 years in fighting fires in the intermountain region and for fire protection work there is being expended annually 70 A good example resulted from a burned and denuded area is the flood at farmington in august 1923 which cost a toll of six human lives and property loss running into many thousands of dollars in the intermountain region diere there are estimated to be 38 billion feet of timber this is be ing sold at the rate of 40 million feet a year ft it brings to the gov armenta a revenue of annually it is surprising to know that acres of ailiese these timbered area are being burned annually of this area small trees the forest e st of the future comprise a good percentage brush and grass fires kills thousands of these and consumes enough forage to summer head of cattle annually careless men account for 53 per cent of all these fires and lightning 47 per cent statistics show that thai man caused fires represent 48 per cent of all forest fires in western idaho 82 per cent in eastern idaho 67 per cent in westeen wyo ming 90 percent per cent nevada and 75 per cent in utah nobody knows how many nesting birds small fur animals and even big animals are destroyed in these fires fishing streams are polluted with lye and ashes and the fish perish in every man caused fires campers e rs and smokers caused 72 brush burners 12 train sparks 10 lumbermen 2 and 4 in view of the annual loss of life and property by I 1 orest forest fires we earnestly request an effort on the part of e ayery ery individual citizen to be careful NV with oth fire and impress on the minds of f your friends the necessity of doing the same cigars cigarette stumps and matches should be crushed into the moist earth carth instead of throwing them into the dry leaves and pine needles if you yon are arc going to the mountains this summer be careful with hrc fire and tell your friends to bo be c careful too it pays and nian man caused fires can be eliminated through the cooperation of the people as a whole |