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hunting, as provided by this bill, is consistent with the establishment of a new type of reservation in this region, to be known as a national recreational area. Also, the provision of services connected with hunting is a source of income for many of the residents residing within or near the authorized area, who act as guides and who rent boats and blinds to sportsmen. Under the terms of H. R. 9274, hunting will be permitted in the area, subject to the provisions of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, in a manner that will make it possible to exclude this use of the area from those portions of the beach that will be required for intensive public use.

I have been advised by the Director of the Bureau of the Budget that there would be no objection by that Bureau to the presentation of this report to the Congress.

Sincerely yours,

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JUNE 3 (legislative day, MAY 28), 1940.—Ordered to be printed

Mr. ADAMS, from the Committee on Public Lands and Surveys, submitted the following

REPORT

[To accompany S. 1433]

The Senate Committee on Public Lands and Surveys, to whom was referred the bill (S. 1433), to add certain lands to the Šiuslaw National Forest in the State of Oregon, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with the following amendment and with the recommendation that the bill, as amended, do pass:

Page 2, line 2, strike out the comma after the word "lands" and insert the following: acquired under the act of March 1, 1911 (36 Stat. 961), as amended,"

Page 2, line 5, after the word "Act" strike out the comma and insert the following:

: Provided, That this Act shall not affect any revested Oregon and California Railroad grant land, title to which has not passed out of the United States, or any public domain land which is not embraced in relinquishments purchased under the Acts herein before mentioned.

Detailed facts concerning this proposed measure are contained in the letter from the Secretary of Agriculture under date of August 4, 1939, which letter is hereinbelow set forth in full and made a part of this report.

Hon. ALVA B. ADAMS,

DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE,
Washington, August 4, 1939.

Chairman, Committee on Public Lands and Surveys,

United States Senate.

DEAR SENATOR ADAMS: Further reference is made to your request of February 17 for a report on S. 1433, a bill to add certain lands to the Siuslaw National Forest in the State of Oregon. The requested information has been received from the Regional office of the Forest Service and the Department is glad to submit the following report on the measure:

The bill would give a national-forest status to 74,924 acres consisting of scattered tracts purchased within the counties named in the bill and found to be chiefly valuable for timber production and watershed protection purposes. The acqui

S. Repts., 76-3, vol. 3-81

sition and development program comprised the Western Oregon Scattered Settlers project of the former Resettlement Administration and its successors. Of the area acquired, approximately 38,107 acres are situated within the existing boundaries of the Siuslaw National Forest, while the remaining 36,817 acres of acquired lands are all within 12 miles of the exterior boundaries of the national forest. The purchased lands consisted chiefly of "stump" ranches and "shoestring" valley farms on which the present or potential cropland is too poor or too limited in area to enable the inhabitants to make a living. The need for this acquisition program arose from the fact that although the area is essentially a forest one and chiefly valuable as such, yet individuals had attempted to develop small farms upon which they hoped to earn a living. In nearly all cases they were unsuccessful and frequently moved out but occasionally circumstances were such that the individuals had no means of getting out and rehabilitating themselves. The basic purpose of this project was to resettle families stranded on unsuitable agricultural lands and to return the lands to their fullest use, namely, timber production.

Most of the acquired tracts are scattered and in many instances the only access to the homes was by trails. Inhabitants on these scattered tracts frequently created fire hazards to the adjoining forested land by burning their clearings in an attempt to increase the forage and agricultural quality of their land. Because of the remote and scattered nature of the settlers the cost of maintaining schools and roads throughout the area usually exceeded the inhabitants' ability to maintain these facilities. Many of the acquired tracts were in a state of tax delinquency, although all back taxes were paid by the vendors before the Government made final payment for the land.

Of the 74,924 acres of acquired land within the project 959 acres are classified as agricultural, 2,059 as pasture, 45,180 as bearing stands of merchantable timber, 21,509 as being covered with nonmerchantable timber, while 5,217 acres are classified as potential timber-producing lands. Much of the land on which people were attempting to obtain a livelihood obviously was ill suited to the uses to which it was being put.

The principal timber species, and volume thereof, found on the acquired lands is briefly shown, by counties and per thousand board feet, in the following table: Timber volumes by species on the acquired lands

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As brought out by the table, the chief timber value is in the mature and secondgrowth stands of Douglas fir. Much of the area at present contains stands of commercial timber and well-advanced stands of second growth which will have a substantial value in a more favorable lumber market. The areas here under consideration are located where timber-growing conditions are extremely favorable and where annual growth is exceptionally high in volume. Along the immediate ocean slope in the territory where summer fogs prevail the predominating species is Sitka spruce interspersed with western hemlock.

With adequate fire protection, natural reproduction will quickly become established on the 7,276 acres of pasture, denuded and burned-over farm lands, these scattered tracts being so small that planting will not be necessary to reestablish the forest cover.

The acquired areas form parts of the natural operating units in which nationalforest stumpage predominates. As the growth and quality increment on these lands is extremely high, they are destined to play a very important part in the future economy of the territory through which they are scattered.

No mineral deposits are known to exist on the acquired lands and no mining or prospecting operations of any moment are known to have been conducted in this area; but inclusion of the lands within the forest would in nowise handicap

legitimate mining activities if they subsequently prove practicable and profi table The value of the lands for hydroelectric power production purposes is believed to be negligible, but if such development should become practicable the nationalforest status of the lands would be advantageous rather than a hindrance to such development.

A few of the purchased tracts along the Oregon Coast Highway and on some of the more important fishing streams in the locality are valuable for public recreational use and will make possible the development of adequate public campground facilities. Transportation facilities are good, and existing roads will not only serve protective and administrative needs but also will permit easy access to the recreational features.

As the lands to which the bill relates were acquired for purposes somewhat analogous to those of the act of March 1, 1911 (36 Stat. 961), as amended, it would be administratively advantageous to administer them in conformity with the basic act authorizing the acquisition of forest lands. Accordingly it is recommended that the bill S. 1433 be amended by interpolating on page 2, line 2, between the word "lands" and the comma, the following language: "acquired under the Act of March 1, 1911 (36 Stat. 961), as amended", so that line 2, page 2. will read: "national-forest lands acquired under the Act of March 1, 1911 (36 Stat. 961), as amended, but special provisions included in con-".

The local inhabitants, long familiar with national-forest procedures and objectives, are favorable to the legislation; and it is the belief of the Department that a permanent national-forest status for these lands, which, since January 6, 1938, have been managed and protected by the Forest Service, will be in the public interest. It is therefore recommended that, subject to the amendment above proposed, the bill S. 1433 be favorably considered by your committee and enacted. The lands in question have been administered by the Forest Service during the past 14 months. Such consequent increase in the cost of administering the Siuslaw National Forest as has occurred largely is attributable to the need for separate records, files, accounts, regulations, etc., due to the especial status of the lands. If the lands are given a permanent national-forest status some reduction in costs of administration will occur and revenues from the lands will in time substantially increase national-forest receipts.

Representatives of this Department and the Department of the Interior recently completed a joint field study of the lands involved, and, as a result, agreed upon the following proviso, which it is recommended be added to the bill: "Provided, That this Act shall not affect any revested Oregon and California railroad grant land, title to which has not passed out of the United States, or any public-domain land which is not embraced in relinquishments purchased under the Acts herein before mentioned."

The effect of this proviso would be to retain within the Department of the Interior jurisdiction over any Oregon and California railroad grant land and any public domain located within the counties named in the bill and not embraced in relinquishments purchased under the cited acts.

It is believed that legislation giving these purchased lands a permanent nationalforest status will be in the public interest, therefore, approval of S. 1433 by your committee and its enactment by Congress is recommended.

Upon reference of this matter to the Bureau of the Budget, as required by Budget Circular 344, the Director thereof advised the Department of Agriculture under date of July 27, 1939, that there would be no objection on the part of that office to the submission of this report to Congress.

Sincerely,

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