They contain a large part of the wildest, grandest and most picturesque portions of the American continent, and many of them are still the haunts of the rarest and largest game that the country affords.
The segregation of the forest reservations from the public lands, without the establishment and execution of regulations for their protection and management, would have but little effect in itself upon the preservation of their forests as shown in the present condition of the forests on our unreserved lands. Excessive, unrestricted and indiscriminate grazing has invariably led to the destruction of the young growth on the floor of the forest.
Where such grazing is continued for a number of years, the forest
rapidly deteriorates, for there are not a sufficient number of young trees to form a proper leaf canopy when the old ones are removed or when they mature and decay. We appear to lack a realizing sense that it is the young growth and not the old trees that insure the perpetuation of the forest.
As the reservations could not be treated in similar manner as the unreserved lands, with any expectation of preserving or improving the forest growth, provision was made by the U. S. Land Office, which was responsible for the management of the reservations, for the appointment of certain forest officials, viz.: superintendents, supervisors and forest rangers, these officers having immediate control of the reserved lands as to management and protection. Largely from their lack of both
