Show FOREST NOTES the dorkof work of classifying and opening to homestead entry such lands in the national forests as are chiefly valuable for agriculture is progressing rapidly already over seventy million acres have been covered by field examinations and the final reports acted upon there were cut from the national forests in the fiscal year 1916 board feet of timber of abisa board feet was cut under free use privilege by individuals divi duals in all sales of timber were viere made of which 97 per cent were were under in value indicating the extent to which the homesteader rancher miner small millman and others in need of a limited quantity of timber draw upon the forests tests at the forest products laboratory Madison at wisconsin indicate that by the use of four additional nails in each end an increase of per cent bent in the strena strength of bf canned food boxes is secured approximately acres of denuded land within the Natio national naV forests were re forested Aed in the fiscal year 1916 the total num wr of trees planted was while pounds of tree seed were sown there were more cattle and horses and more sheep and goats using the na dional forests in 1916 than in 1915 this increase was in spite of large eliminations of grazing lands from the forests it is accounted for by improved methods of handling th the stock estock and by more intimate knowledge of the tha forage on the ranges and their carrying capacity on about two million acres of national forest lands gracing by domestic stock is either entirely prohibited or is greatly restricted to provide range for elk it is estimated that in 1915 1615 about forest fires occurred in in the united states which burned over about acres and caused a damage of irately during the past fiscal year there were constructed on the national forests miles of new road 1975 miles of aral trails Is 2124 miles mil es of telephone line 89 miles of fire lines 81 lookout structures 40 bridges miles 0 of f fence dwellings barns and other structures 17 corrals and 1202 water improvements since the passage in in 1912 of the act providing funds for land classification and as a direct result of the classification work a total of acres has been eliminated from the national forests this includes an elimination of approximately acres of land from the churach national forest in alaska which embraced lands of low value for any purpose other than mining |