University of Idaho School of Forestry - Forester Yearbook (Moscow, ID)

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RANGE MANAGEMENT ON INDIAN LANDS J. P. KINNEY Director of Forestry, U. S. Indian Service THE total area of land within the United States in which the Indians own a beneficial interest exceeds 71,000,000 acres, and is ap- proximately equal to one-half of the net area of Federally-owned lands included within Na- tional Forest boundaries. The relative pro- portion of Indian lands that may be classed as forest lands is much smaller than the relative proportion of timbered lands within the Na- tional Forests, the proportion of rough moun- tain land in the National Forests is greater than within Indian reservations, and the area of open grass land within the reservations is proportionally greater than within the Na- tional Forests. These disparities are chiefiy due to the fact that Indian reservations com- prise large areas in the Plains Region, east of the Rocky Mountains, and in the semi-arid portions of Arizona and New Mexico. AREA or INDIAN GRAZING LANDS The forage on the grazing areas within In- dian reservations west of the Rockies is com- parable to that on National Forests, but the immense grassy plains of reservations within the Dakotas and Montana are quite different from any extensive areas within National Forests. The capacity of these short grass areas of the Plains Region to produce forage for stock is truly marvelous. While there are Indian reservations under Federal jurisdiction in twenty states, the chief reservations containing grazing lands of im- portance lie within ten states: Arizona, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, North Da- kota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washing- ton, and Wyoming. The combined area of the reservations in these states exceeds 45,000,000 acres and of this total nearly 40,000,000 acres are classiiiable as grazing lands. These 40,- 000,000 acres include about 5,000,000 acres of forest land which affords range incidental to its primary purpose of forest production. The reservations in these ten states may be properly assigned to three groups of rather distinct characteristics. These are the North- ern Great Plains Region, lying east of the Rockies and north of the forty-first parallel of latitude, the Intermountain Region, lying north of the forty-first parallel and between the Rockies and the Cascades, and the South- west Region comprising Arizona, New Mexi- co, Utah, and a small area in southwestern Colorado. The Plains Region contains over 12,000,000 acres of range lands, the Inter- mountain Region nearly 5,000,000 acres, and the Southwestern Region nearly 23,000,000 acres. In 1930 slightly more than 11,000,000 acres were under lease or permit for grazing purposes and a yearly cash income of nearly S900,000 was realized. It will be noted that the area not under lease or permit was nearly three times the area from which a cash reve- nue was being received. The total revenue de- rived from Indian livestock ranging on Indian lands in 1930 was nearly 32,340,000 Thus the total income to the Indians from livestock and grazing fees amounted to approximately 53,- 250,000. Obviously these range resources play an important part in the economic life of the Indians. CONDITION or GRAZING LANDS. While it is unmistakably true that the grazing lands of the Navajos in Arizona and New Mexico are greatly overstocked at present, and while isolated instances of over- grazing occur on various reservations, the range lands on Indian reservations are not generally in a depleted condition. In fact, throughout the Indian country the faults of the past have been chiefiy in the line of un- regulated use and a failure to provide physical improvements rather than in a general over- stocking of the ranges. Ranges heretofore overgrazed could be relieved through the de- velopment of Water in areas that can not now be used to capacity because of a lack of wells or tanks. Large areas have been injured by the grazing of inferior horses who produce no income commensurate with the harm done to the range. Tens of thousands of acres are practically useless for stock purposes and hun- dreds of thousands of acres are greatly re- duced in value because of their occupation by prairie dogs which could be and should be ex- terminated. Funds have never been available for the de- velopment of water supplies and the prospects of future appropriations for such purposes are by no means encouraging. The Indians have been reluctant to dispose of their ponies at the prices that could be obtained for them, and not only have the funds available for rodent control been extremely limited, but the Indians, especially in the Navajo country, have not been sympathetic with plans for the extermination of animals that at times afford a partial food supply in a region that produces but a limited variety of human diet. INVENTORY OF GRAZING LANDS The first task undertaken by the Forestry Branch of the Indian Service after the ad- ministration of grazing on Indian lands was assigned to it on April 15, 1930 was to secure an inventory of the grazing resources of the Indians and of the stock utilizing the same. In- cidental to the taking of this inventory a vast amount of information was accumulated as to the precipitation, the kinds of forage, past experience in stock raising, and other data for each particular reservation. This infor- 11

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10 TI-IE IDAHO FORESTER YIELD CAPACITY DETERMINES CUT The amount of national forest timber that may be cut in any year is controlled by the sustained yield capacity of the forest land. The yield at the present time, based on the present forest land acreage, is in the neigh- borhood of 550 to 600 million feet annually. This is much below the past average annual cut in the state. Furthermore, a large- pro- portion of this yield is in species not now in great demand, or consists of the younger stands too small to fill market requirements, or is so inaccessible that for quite a number of decades it cannot be economically utilized. Consequently, there promises to be a material gap in the lumber industry's output for a period commencing about fifteen or twenty years from now until about fifty or sixty years from now, when the younger stands come into merchantability. What this means to local welfare needs no emphasis. The eiect of cessation of lumbering activities in several of the counties and towns in northern Idaho is already well known. However, looking ahead to the future the national forests are definitely a provisiong first to ameliorate the trying conditions re- sulting from cutting out of timber, and sec- ond, to build up the raw material output to even greater yi-eld possibilities than hitherto have been utilized. The first is accomplished through limitation of cutting-' on national forest lands to their sustained yield. A movement is further on foot, using the government timber as a foun- dation and nucleus, to work out a scheme in- volving- northern Idaho timber whereby the timber of other than government ownership will be thrown in with it and together be cut and managed on a sustained yield basis. SECOND GROWTH ESSENTIAL The second growth is accomplished through the care and protection the government is giv- ing to its young timber growth of no present commercial value as well as to the older mer- chantable stands. Such a policy is not fully pursued by any other forest landowner in the State of Idaho, not even the state itself on its own land. Its accomplishment is also further- ed through the authority for acquiring cut- over or young growth areas, nonagricultural in character, heretofore privately owned and adding them to the existing national forest lands. The lands thus added, having been se- lected for their timber quality in the days of free public land acquisition before the insti- tution of the national forests, are generally far better than average in timber production capacity. Hence, the future yield of the na- tional forests will be increased far out of proportion to the increase in acreage. Utilizing land unfit for agriculture, keep- ing land productive which otherwise would lie waste, and at no cost to the state, cannot otherwise than benefit the state. It is well known that vast acreages of privately owned land, cut-over, burned, or with unmarketable second growth, which have no value for agri- culture or any other purpose than timber pro- duction, are going back to the counties through tax delinquencies. The counties, even though their officials realize full well their responsi- bility and the vital importance of custodial at- tention to these lands, are financially unable to undertake this burden. The state cannot do so. Somewhat limited authority is available for the government to take over these lands. This has afforded a means for keeping much of these new public domain lands productive and in the way to deliver their manifold bene- fits to the people of the state. INVESTMENT FIGURES LARGE In these ways the national forests areplay- ing the part of bringing stability to the large lumbering and allied industries of the state upon which very many other gainful occupa- tions depend in great part. In 1927 there were in Idaho 96 lumber and timber products establishments, over 10,000 salary and wage earners faverage for the yearlg salaries and wages totaled over 314,000,000 and materials, fuel, etc., exceeded 310,000,000. The value of the manufactured product exceeded 330,000,- 000. The figures for 1929 were appreciably higher, but 1927 data are accepted as more conservative. The 322.50 per thousand feet that is estimated as going into local circula- tion, on 800,000,000 feet of annual cut comes to 318,000,000 The figures from one large lumber company indicate that on anpinvest- ment of around 39,500,000, about 32,500,000 yearly has circulated in the local communities for the past two decades. The lumber and allied industries comprise directly a material part of the taxable prop- erty of the state. From the 1931 report of the Idaho State Board of Equalization is indicated that this comes to between 345,000,000 and 350,000,000 Just how much more taxable values come from business, residence and similar properties, and even public utility values, and farm values stimulated by local markets resulting from the lumbering indus- try, it is impossible to determine, but un- questionably their aggregate is v-ery great. The continuance of the tax return from these properties is inevitably bound up with the con- tinuance of these industries. Of vast importance indeed in the economic welfare of the state in the future is the as- sured stability of raw material production. This assurance of a stable output of forest crops is not or cannot be assured by any other agency than the federal government. Despite these enormous benefits, the obligation has not been undertaken by any of the county govern- ments and is redeemed in only a secondary way by the state. While the justifica- tion of the federal government's raising tim- fContinued on page 465

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12 THE IDAHO FORESTER mation was incorporated in extensive reports of as uniform a character as the circumstances would permit. These special reports were sup- plemented by, and to some extent summarized in, a general report on the entire problem entitled An Economic Survey of the Range Resources and Grazing Activities on Indian Reservations prepared by Mr. Lee Muck, Assistant Director of Forestry in the Indian Service, assisted by Mr. P. E. Melis, Assistant Forester, and Mr. G. M. Nyce, Associate Range Supervisor. This report was published in Part 22 of Senate Hearings under Senate Resolution '79 of the Seventieth Congress. On June 4, 1931 the Department of the Interior approved the regulations, permit forms, etc., that had been devised in thelight of the stud- ies conducted during the year following April 15, 1930. The new regulations, stipulations as to use of range, permit forms, and so forth, went into effect on July 1, 1931. An inventory of the grazing resources hav- ing been made, the main weaknesses of the former method of administration disclosed, and a plan outlined for future administration, attention was directed to special studies of particular ranges on the various reservations and to the accumulation in definite, recorded form of data that could be compared with other data gathered at subsequent periods so as to disclose unmistakably the trends toward im- provement or depletion of the range on such particular areas. Obviously, studies of this character require great care and much time and it is not surprising that the accomplish- ments along this line during the first two years have been comparatively limited, when it is remembered that the current administra- tion connected with the actual use of 40,000,- 000 acres has necessarily demanded a very large part of the time of the very restricted force available. For instance there are several reservations comprising more than 1,000,000 acres on which only one man is available for grazing work and while some guidance can be given by foresters and grazing specialists at large, it is clearly impossible with such a limited personnel to devote adequate time to studies of the most vital importance to the establishment of successful range management. ADMINISTRATION CHANGE AT WRONG TIME Unfortunately the efforts to introduce new methods of grazing administration on Indian lands happened to coincide with a period of the most adverse conditions in the livestock industry that have been experienced in forty years, and possibly during the whole history of the industry in America. The summers of 1929 and 1930 were marked by extreme drought in diferent portions of the Northwest and Southwest, and so little precipitation occurred within extensive areas in Washington, Mon- tana and the Dakotas in 1931 as to force the removal from their usual ranges of tens of thousands of head of stock in the late summer and autumn of that year. The general eco- nomic depression having its incidence late in 1929 had begun to be seriously felt in the live- stock industry in 1930. The low prices of stock combined with the shortage of forage and even cultivated crops in the range states, placed the owners of livestock in a most precarious con- dition. Economic conditions became succes- sively worse in 1931 and 1932 until the prices obtainable for steers, lambs and wool dropped to one-half or one-third of the realizations of 1928. The inability of the Navajos and other tribes in the Southwest to dispose of their lambs and older sheep, greatly accentuated an over-stocking of ranges that already threaten- ed future income from their grazing lands. The disastrously low prices for livestock pro- ducts prevented permittees on the Indian ranges from paying their grazing fees estab- lished on a basis of comparatively high mar- kets for products. An urgent demand came from the stockmen that grazing rates be sub- stantially reduced even on contracts already made for a term of years. The Indian Service was not in a position to reduce grazing fees in existing contracts with- out the consent of the Indians and was un- willing to agree to reductions on future per- mits without the consent of the Indians. For a long time the Indians on many reservations opposed any reduction, but as they became convinced that the permittees were really un- able to pay the former prices and came to realize that the ranges might lie idle if rates were not reduced, agreements on adjustments were reached and it affords us much satisfac- tion to state that generally the Indians showed a very commendable spirit in meeting the users of the range half way in a reduction of graz- ing fees. PROBLEMS OF ADMINISTRATION The Indian Service is confronted by a pe- culiarly ditlicult problem in the administra- tion of grazing lands as well as timber lands. In 1887 legislation was passed by the federal Congress that was directed to the individuali- zation of the Indian problem. The theory back of this legislation was that if each Indian were given an allotment Of land in severalty the tribal status and customs would in a com- paratively short time be broken up and the individual Indians with their distinct land holdings would assume much the same posi- tion as homesteaders on the public lands. Under this general allotment act and special acts of a similar character the greater part of the grazing land on reservations in North and South Dakota, Idaho, Montana, and to a lesser degree in other states, has been allotted in areas varying from 160 acres to 320 acres, Or even a larger amount in one or two instances. 1Continued on page 483