The denudation of the areas burned over on the national forests in certain regions is a matter of great concern to the national policy of keeping the national forests green and productive. On the national forests of north Idaho and eastern Montana during the 19 years ending with 1926, 65,000 acres have been artificially reforested, but during that same period 270,000 acres of high-quality timber-producing land have been so completely denuded by fire that artificial reforestation must be resorted to. In this particular region the area of national forest land lying idle and unproductive has actually increased notwithstanding the planting program which has been carried on and the large expenditures for fighting large fires. There are too many instances where large areas are ravaged by a single fire, as in 1927 when 52,000 acres within and adjacent to the Columbia National Forest in the State of Washington were lost. The original stand of timber on this area was destroyed by fire in 1902, before the creation of the national forest. Following the fire of 1902 an excellent stand of young timber started from seed which had worked its way into protected places and which therefore escaped destruction. This young stand was successfully protected until 1927 but had not yet matured sufficiently to produce the store of seed which might reforest the area if burned again. Consequently most of the land burned over in 1927 will remain idle and unproductive until costly artificial reforestation can be undertaken. In seasons when climatic conditions are favorable to the rapid spread of fires, appalling losses occur on the national forests despite the best efforts which can be made to prevent fires or catch them while small. In 1919 the area burned on all the national forests was 2,000,034 acres and the damage was $4,919,000. In 1924, which was the next bad season, the area burned was 602,044 acres and the damage was $1,471,267. In 1926 the area lost was 776,570 acres, with a damage of $4,260,426. The season of 1928 proved to be an easy one except in California where the area burned was nearly as large as in 1924, which witnessed the worst losses this region has experienced. In the season of 1929 the area lost on all national forests was 736,687 acres and the estimated damage was $5,000,000. The experience of 1928 in California illustrates the need for additional protective improvements if fire losses are to be brought within reason. More than half of the season's losses are attributable to the presence of highly inflammable grass and brush along roads, and to the absence of cleared and fireproofed barriers which could have been used to stop fires which swept in from outside the national forests. Out of the 22 fires which reached 3,000 acres or over in size, 11 swept in from outside the national forests and could not possibly have been stopped at the national-forest boundaries without the aid of artificial barriers or firebreaks prepared in advance. Firebreaks have been constructed in California and some roadside clearing has been done where the travel and danger is greatest, but that the amount which it has been possible to invest in this way has been totally inadequate is clearly shown by the experience of the 1928 fire season. For some years a special appropriation has been available for this type of work in the four southern California National Forests and the construction program which is being carried out has already had an important effect, although most of the programmed work still remains to be done. In the national forests elsewhere only insignificant sums have been available for this type of protective improvement work. Analysis of the 1928 record for the California national forests shows that 26 per cent of the fires which attained 100 acres or more in area are chargeable to the fact that lookouts and fire guards were spread too thinly. More personnel is clearly necessary, but the addition of more lookout men and fire guards will be largely ineffective unless telephone lines and lookout houses can be provided so that the additional men can be stationed at the proper points and kept within communication. In this connection it should be stated that after 20 years of earnest effort to complete the structures necessary to secure prompt discovery and report of fires. nearly half of this plant still remains unconstructed because of lack of funds. Success in catching fires while small depends on speed in reaching them and this in turn depends largely on roads and trails. When roads and trails are available, fires are reached promptly and are normally either controlled at once or rounded up within the first 24 hours. An analysis of California national forest fires of over 100 acres which were not rounded up within the first 24 hours in 1928 shows that 29 per cent of such failures are attributable to lack of roads and trails. An analysis of large fires on the national forests of north Idaho and western Montana in the disastrous season of 1926 shows that 21 per cent of such fires became large primarily because of lack or scarcity of trails. These fires which were chargeable to lack of trails cost about $156,000 to suppress and caused damage estimated at $700,000. In 1929, in north Idaho and western Montana disastrous losses were experienced, but it is significant that no fire grew large which was within striking distance of a road. The records of the Forest Service contain many striking proofs of the importance of roads and trails to effective and economical protection of the national forests. A district forester cites an instance in which between 7 p. m. and 1 a. m. the following morning, a large crew with supplies, equipment, and pack stock was collected, organized, and moved 60 miles by truck to the end of the existing road. It took the outfit the next two days to travel 45 miles over mountainous trails from the end of the road to the fire for which they were called. Such delay in seasons such as that of 1929 inevitably means heavy losses and heavy expenditures for fire fighting. The cheapest and most effective remedy in such regions is the construction of simple low-cost protection roads. Under existing legislation approximately $3,000,000 is expended annually on the construction and maintenance of roads and trails needed for the protection and development of the national forests. This program, however, must provide for roads needed for administration and utilization of timber and other resources, as well as for strictly protection needs. At the present rate of construction it will be 41 years before the roads and trails at this time included in the development plans can be completed. By an additional appropriation of $3,000,000 annually for the construction of the simple, low-cost roads and trails of the type required for protection, the time required for completion of the planned system would be reduced by about half. The Nation has a stupendous investment in the national forests and the industrial and social consequences of keeping these areas green and productive are farreaching. Furthermore, the failure upon the part of the National Government to keep these areas green and productive will have a disheartening influence on every citizen who is the owner of land which should be kept in timber production. It would be most unfortunate if the lack of a modest capital investment in protective improvements on some of the national forests should lead to the belief that effective protection is a practical impossibility. These continued and unnecessary losses of merchantable timber and young growth, together with the destruction of recreational and scenic values in the great public properties on the national forests have given great concern to publicspirited men in the States where these losses have occurred. It is to be expected that more insistent demands from the public will be made for more aggressive action looking to the completion in the needed improvements for protection of the national forests. RANGE IMPROVEMENTS The amounts included for this purpose in the 1930 appropriation act, the appropriation bill for 1931 as it passed the House, and in S. 3594 are given below: 1930 appropriation act. 1931 appropriation bill. S. 3594. $85,000 100, 000 ------ The kinds of improvements included under this heading are as follows: Fences, water-development projects, corrals, driveways, stock bridges, etc. The eradication of poisonous plants is also provided for in the bill. The amount authorized for this bill for range improvements is only a fraction of the increase in grazing fees which stockmen will be required to pay annually by 1931 for the use of national-forest ranges. As a part of this program of increased grazing fees, and also in the interest of better administration of the grazing ranges, it is highly desirable that the construction and maintenance of the improvements necessary for the proper utilization of the forage crop be undertaken by the owner of the land. During recent years it has usually not been possible to allot more than $30,000 annually from Forest Service appropriations for such work. Eighty-five thousand dollars was provided for this purpose for the current fiscal year. Stockmen have cooperated to the best of their ability, but since the cost of urgently needed new improvements is $1,700,000, the progress being made is seriously inadequate and stockmen should now be relieved of the burden which they have been carrying. 71ST CONGRESS 2d Session } SENATE { REPORT No. 732 AMEND THE ACT MAKING APPROPRIATIONS FOR THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE FOR THE FISCAL YEAR ENDING JUNE 30, 1929 MAY 26 (calendar day, MAY 27), 1930.-Ordered to be printed Mr. McNARY, from the Committee on Agriculture and Forestry submitted the following REPORT (To accompany H. R. 10037] The Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 10037) to amend the act entitled "An act making appropriations for the Department of Agriculture for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1929, and for other purposes," approved May 16, 1928, having considered the same, report thereon with the recommendation that the bill do pass. The legislation has the approval of the Department of Agriculture and the Director of the Budget. The following letter from the Department of Agriculture addressed to the chairman explains the purpose of the legislation: Hon. CHARLES L. MCNARY, Chairman Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, United States Senate. MAY 23, 1930. DEAR SENATOR: Receipt is acknowledged of your letter of May 7, transmitting a copy of a bill (H. R. 10037) with request for a report thereon. This bill would amend the item "Flood relief, Vermont, New Hampshire, and Kentucky" in the department appropriation act for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1929 (45 Stat. L. 570) by adding thereto a proviso authorizing the Secretary of Agriculture to cooperate with the State of Kentucky in acquiring the bridge built and now operated by the Citizens Bridge Co., of the city of Hazard, Ky., over the North Fork of the Kentucky River from Main Street in said city to the Louisville & Nashville Railroad right of way and depot. The proviso also would authorize the Secretary of Agriculture to pay one-half of the cost of acquiring said bridge out of the funds appropriated by the above item for the relief of the State of Kentucky, such payment in no event to exceed $31,000. The other half of such cost shall be paid by the State of Kentucky. After the bridge is acquired the bill would require that it be operated as a free bridge. The bridge across the Kentucky River in the city of Hazard was destroyed by the 1927 floods. The department understands that the city of Hazard had reached the limit of legal indebtedness which it could create under the State constitution, and, therefore, it could not legally borrow money with which to construct a new bridge. Considerable property damage also resulted throughout the city from the 1927 floods, which it is understood had the effect of reducing the tax assessments and revenues of the city. The department is advised that under these circumstances the Citizens Bridge Co. was organized to arrange the financing and construction of the bridge which it now is proposed to authorize this department and the State of Kentucky to acquire. The company has been operating the bridge as a toll bridge to reimburse the cost of its construction and meet the expense of its operation, maintenance, and repair. The flood-relief appropriation for the State of Kentucky was $1,889,994 and of this there remains an unobligated balance considerably in excess of the $31,000 which the bill would authorize to be used to meet one-half the cost of acquiring the bridge. No additional appropriation is contemplated by the bill. In view of the foregoing, the department recommends favorable action on the bill. Sincerely, |