New District Forester Outlines California Forest Policy

S. B. Sfrora

Stuart Bevier Show, recently appointed district forester of the California District, United States Forest Service, was born in 'Waco, Nebraska, in 1886, and came to California it: his ear'lv vouth with his father. the late Professor A. B' Show, f6. matry years with the history departmer-rt of S-tanford University. He attended grammar and high school in Palo Alto, California, and secured his bachelor's degtee at Stanford University in 1908. Having decided to make forestry his profession while still an undergraduate, he took a preparatory course in this subject at Stanford and a two year post griduate course at the Yale Forest School, whgre he obtained the degree of Master of Forestry in 1910. That same year he entered the Forest Service as forest assistant and was assigned to technical work on the Shasta National Forest in northern California.

Irfatural ability along technical and investigative lines caused his transfer in 1915 to the Feather River Experiment Station on the Plumas National Forest, where he carried on research work in forestry until L9I7 when lack of funds caused the closing of that station. He then was placed in charge of all forestry research in the California District with head,quarters in San Francisco, which position he has held until his recent promotion to District Forester.

Mr. Show's eight years of experience in research have given him wide contacts throughout the state and an intimate knowledge of the basic problems of forest management, grazing, land exchange and fire prevention. In the latter field he has been especially active and is the co-authoi of numerous government bulletins on the fire and forestry problem in California. His scientific studies into the causes, effects, and, in fact, the whole field of forest fires has been in the nature of pioneer work and has ,proved of great value to Federal, state and private forestry interests.

Show is a member of the Society of American Foresters and the American Ecological Society. He is rnarried and has three girls and one boy in his home in Palo Alto.

District Forester Show wi,ll be head of the 18 National

Forests of California, which contain resources valued at $300,000,000; replacing Paul G. Redington, recently promoted to assistant forester in charge of public r0lations at the Forest Service headquarters in Washington, D. C. In discussing plans for the protection and development of these Federal resources Mr. Show said:

"The policy of National Forest administration is the outgrowth of two decades of experience in the practical job of handling over one-fifth of the total land area of California. It represents a systematic attempt to contribute to the prosperity and happiness of Californians of present and future generations through the medium of wise ,land use Our policy will naturally be modified as conditions change or as we come to understand more fully the needs of particular situations. But the changes must be well considered, designed to meet known needs, and not hastily made.

"The various activities in which the U. S. Forest Service is now engaged are many, as would be expected in handling a forest property of 20 million acres. Among these fire control is of first importance in California. The fire control organization on the National Forests is made up of trained and alert men with genuine interest in reducing our fire losses. Nearly everywhere the citizens of the state are overwhelmingly in favor of forest protection, as is shown by their active participation in fire prevention work. Yet the number of man-caused fires remains discouragingly high, and the timber, young growth and watershed cover destroyed each year reaches a serious amount.

"What is the answer ? Partly, beyond doubt, in more intensive fire protective measures, as rapidly as funds can be obtained. Partly by a more individual and personal sense of responsibility on the part of each of us, not only to exercise care with fire but to see that others do so as well. I believe, also, that we have come to the point where we must face the fact that on many forest areas the hazard is so extreme that all use of fire must be excluded.

"fn many of our restocking brush fields, in our valuable watershed forests, the merest spark will start a fire, which, once underway, can be stopped only after a large area -is burned and iireparable damage is done. On such lands, once the situati6n is clearly understood, I have no doubt that public opinion will say 'Here let us have no camp fires, no smoking, no use of fire at all.'

"Aoads and tr-iils are an important means of controlling fires in the forests. To date, the Forest Service has spent over seven million dollars in California in this work. All motorists-and who does not motor-are thoroughly alive to the benefits of roads. During the past few years many miles of new mountain roads and trails, built by the Federal government, have opened to wide public use the hitherto iniccessible mountain areas. This road program will be continued as long as money is provided by Congress.

"New roads strengthen fire control by speeding up the transport of fire fighters, equipment and supplies. At the same time, they often result in an increase in the nu'mber of fires caused by visitors to our mountains. Only in rare instances will it -be necessary to exclude use of new roads and then only where country of extreme fire hazard is involved. In inost cases forest roads will be available for public travel, as well as for the primary 'purpose for which they were constructed.

"The fire problem," continued the District Forester, "extends beyond the National Forest boundaries to include millions of acres of privately owned forest and brush land' Protection of this is just as vital to the state's prosperity as is protection of the Federal foresti. The problem- is hopeless for the individual owner of land unless his holding be-very large. The expense of an independent organization is too greai. It is a state problem and has been recognized as such. The State Board of Forestry undertakes the pro- tection of much of this vast territory. Through direct appropriation by counties, private owners and associations, a- ikeieton fire -organization has been built up.But the magnitude of the task is not yet realized. The efiort now made is probably not over a third of what will be required to really master-fires outside the National Forests.

"Masiery of the fire problem on all forest lands is a vital ,part of the cut-over land question. At an ever increasing iate, private forests are being cut, and a considerable part left unproductive. Already nearly two million acres have been cut over. Some of this land, instead of producing promptly a new crop of wood is now in possession of brush. California can ill afiord to lose any considerable part of her producing forest area. Even now with a lot of virgin forest left we do not begin to supply our own wood requirementsThe need for growing a substantial part of our own.supply will increase, in future years, and immediate attention should be devoted to the basic question of keeping land at work. Several practical things can and should be done to help the private owner, for what happens to his land is the crux of the situation.

"Aside from strengthening the state protection system, the obvious first need, some system of tax relief for cutover lands should be devised. Annual taxes represent a considerable item in the cost of growing wood, since the timber harvest is obtained only once in several decades.

"fn all these phases of the forest problem of California both inside and outside the National Forests each citizen is interested. ,We can not separate the recreational value of forests from their commercial value and consider it exclusively. A vigorous and constructive national and state forest policy will both assure the economic benefits of forests and perpetuate their value as recreation grounds."