DEPARTMENT REPORTS Favorable reports on the resolution have been submitted by both the Department of Agriculture and the Department of the Interior. They are printed herewith and made a part of this report. Hon. ELMER THOMAS, Chairman, Senate Committee on Agriculture and Forestry, MARCH 4, 1949. United States Senate. DEAR SENATOR THOMAS: Reference is made to the request made today for an immediate repe to your committee on Senate Joint Resolution 53, designed to provide for the reforestation and revegetation of the forest and range lands of the national forests, and for other purposes. As to reforestation: Out of the approximately 80,000,000 acres of commercial timberlands within the national forests, there are approximately 4,000,000 acres of denuded and unsatisfactorily stocked lands. Reforestation of these lands is required to bring them back into timber production. Present unsatisfactory stocking of these lands has resulted primarily from either forest fires or mistreatment by previous owners before acquisition and addition of them to the national forests A The Forest Service of this Department has been conducting reforestation operations on the national forests for more than 40 years. Satisfactory and efficient methods for conduct of the work are thoroughly known and tested total of 1,270,571 acres have been successfully planted to date on the nationai forests. Reforestation was one of the major activities of the Civilian Conservation Corps during the 1930's. The highest accomplishment in a single vear was in 1936 when 214,306 acres were planted. During the war reforestation work was virtually suspended. Currently $1,326,862 is available for reforestation work on the national forests. Because of high labor rates and costs for rehabilitating nurseries after suspension of activity during the war years, a rate of planting of only around 30,000 acres annually has been achieved in the postwar period An The Forest Service has studied ways and means to accomplish the reforestation job on the national forests in the cheapest and most efficient manner objective has been set up to do the job in a 15-year period. It is essential that the program be carried on without interruption to obtain the lowest cost. since as much as 5 years may be needed for some species between the time of seed collec tion and the field planting of the resulting nursery-grown stock. There is general agreemen' that this reforestation work should be done eventually. Postponement or delays in doing this work will result in added expense and further delay of benefits into the distant future The 15-year reforestation program recommended by the Forest Service contemplates planting of 2,200,000 acres of nonstocked lands and 1,000,000 acres of those understocked lands which are most critically in need of additional stocking, The total cost of this work, including essential plantation care and release of existing plantations and those to be established, is approximately $119.000,000, or an average expenditure of $7,933,333 annually During the first year of such a program the funds needed would be approximately $3,000,000 with gradua rising amounts as nurseries are developed and adequate amounts of nursery stock are grown At about the midpoint of the 15-year period, an expenditure of as much as $10,000 000 may be advisable to attain maximum efficiency Toward the end of the 15-year period substantial curtailments in expenditures could be made as the program is completed in certain areas and reductions in expenditures for nursery operations and maintenance become possible As to revegetation: Out of the approximately 83,000,000 acres of land used for grazing in the nationa forests, about 4,000.000 acres are in a seriously depleted condition Much of this area is located on important watersheds which have been damaged by past overgrazing. Such lands are not producing anywhere near the amount of forage they should. Moreover, in their present condition, they constitute serious erosion hazards which threaten entire communities. There is immediate and pressing need for an enlarged program designed to check the present downward trend in both soils and vegetation and to restore the depleted areas to maximum productivity Range revegetation work on the national forests has now advanced from experimental to project stages As in the case of reforestation, effective methods have been developed and tested and are now being applied Depleted range and watershed areas can be restored to productivity within 2 or 3 years and made to support from 5 to 10 times the number of livestock now carried A total of more than 200,000 acres of national forest range and have been successfully reseeded to date For fiscal year 1949 the budget continued a $543,000 item for range revegetation Subsequently this 'tem was increased by $250,000 on the floor of the House during debate on the 1949 agricultural appropriat on bill Overgrazed ranges in a good many national forest areas require drastic reductions in livestock use In some areas decades will be required to restore the vegetation on such areas it nature is left to her own devices And even then the results would fall far short of what could be accomplished by other means Such procedure would obviously be insufficient and wasteful Moreover, it would defeat the very worth-while objective of doing everything practicable to provide additional orare for livestock at a time when the world is in need of all the food that can be pro luced The more constructive approach is one of range and watershed rehabilitation through a planned program of revegetation, along with a somewhat less drastic reduction in ivestock numbers It is recommended that the revegetation iob be set up for completion in a 15-year period as provided for in the resolution During the first year of this program approximately $1.500,000 would be needed with progressive ncreases thereafter as adequate supplies of seed, equipment. and mater:ai are made available Beginning with the fifth year of the program it is expected that the project would 'evel off to an expenditure of about $3 000 000 annualiv until completion of the presently needed program Appropriations under authorization of this resolution would remain available until December 31 of the ensuing fisca year (p. 3, lines 12 and 13, of the resolution) Nursery operations are in full swing in late June and early July Sowing. transplanting, and weeding operations should be scheduled in accordance with ocal weather conditions without regard to closure of the fiscal year on June 30. Reforestation work can be done more economically and effectively under this provision of the resolution Senate Joint Resolution 53 would establish a policy of Congress and authorize appropriations for a planned reforestation and revegetation program in the national forests Enactment of the resolution is recommended In view of the time limitation we have not obtained advice from the Bureau of the Budget as to the relationship of this bill to the program of the President Sincerely yours CHARLES F. BRANNAN, Secretary. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY, Washington, D. C.. May 23. 1949 Hon HAROLD D. COOLEY, Chairman. Committee on Agriculture, House of Representatives. MY DEAR MR. COOLEY. Reference is made to your request for a report on Senate Joint Resolution 53, to provide for the reforestation and revegetation of the forest and range lands of the national forests, and for other purposes I have no objection to the enactment of the joint resolution Senate Joint Resolution 53 relates to the national-forest lands only, but the constructive objectives of the proposed legislation should apply with equal torce to the vast areas administered by this Department It would result in greater efficacy in achieving these desirable objectives if the Congress adopted a uniform and broad policy of rehabilitation and conservation covering all of the public lands There remain in the continental United States somewhat under 415,000,000 acres of public domain National-forest lands, administered by the Department of Agriculture, comprise about one-third of this acreage Most of the balance, or 280.000.000 acres is administered by the Interior Department including 170. 000.000 acres of vacant land (132,000.000 acres in grazing districts) 55,000,000 acres in Indian reservations, and 12,000,000 acres in national parks and monuThe remaining lands are in reclamation, military and other reservations Major portions of the public lands, adjacent to or surrounding the national forests, are also important as watershed lands, as a source of water for domestic. industrial. and irrigation purposes. as range for livestock and as habitat for ments wildlife. Of the 280,000,000 acres administered by this Department, nearly 20,000,000 acres have been given conservation treatment; 60%1⁄2 million acres are critically eroding and another 73 million acres need early attention to prevent serious erosion. Large areas of the public lands lie where the western rivers originate A disproportionately large part of the silt load in streams and of the damage resulting from floods has its start in these public lands. The silt load of such streams can be reduced by protection of the timber and vegetation cover. thus controlling soil erosion and regulating silt load. The need for a long-range departmental program of reforestation is demonstrated by examining the O. & C. (revested Orgeon & California Railroad and reconveyed Coos Bay Wagon Road) imber lands of western Oregon. Th O. & C. lands, embracing about 21⁄2 million acres, are administered directly by the Bureau of Land Management of this Department. A large part of these lands which are primarily suited to forest-production purposes are not now restocking naturally due to repeated burnings or other causes. Field estimates indicate that tota' area of approximately 150,000 acres out of the 21⁄2 million acres of O. & C. lands are in need of early artificial reforestation. The urgent nature of the problem is indicated in part by the repeated floods in Willamette River, which drains a large part of the O. & C. area, and in part by the revenue-producing capacity of similar forested lands in the same general vicinity There are an additional 150,000 acres of public lands throughout the Western States, suitable for forestry, which will not restock naturally and which should be reforested artificially at the earliest possible opportunity In general. the major basis of reforestation should be the considered expectation of economic returns from forest crops adequate to reimburse the Government for capital outlays and carrying charges for new plantings. But there are other benefits such as soil-saving, flood and erosion prevention and protection of watershed which justify reforestation programs Long-range plans for reforestation of such lands require adequate anticipated annual financing On the basis of an estimated cost of $20 per acre of successful planting, the 300,000 acres of public domain and O & C. lands would require an outlay of $6,000,000, spread out advantageously over a period of 10 years The Interior Department administers 170,000,000 acres of range lands which supply forage for more than 12,000,000 head of livestock. Fully half of this range land needs restorative work, since approximately 85,000,000 acres are serious condition due to undeterred erosion and vegetation depletion These depleted areas require both close management and rehabilitation if the soil. water, and forage resources are to be adequately protected and the original productiveness is to be regained or enhanced Some 22,000,000 acres are so situated and are of such character that the soil and moisture conditions are favorable to reseedin. The urgent need for revegetation and the possibilities of rapid rehabilitation of these lands warrant prompt consideration and treatment by Congress, similar to that proposed in Senate Joint Resolution 53 for range lands within the national forests. These 22,000,000 acres may be rehabilitated, it is estimated, at an average cost of $5 per acre. or a total of $110.000.000 over 9 15-year period Comprehensive plans and studies are presently under way in the Department for a long-term program of revegetation and rehabilitation of the denuded range. When these plans, as well as the reforestation program are formulated they wil be presented for the consideration of the Congress Since the committee has held a hearing on the Joint Resolution within the ast tew days and desires the views of this Department immediately, this report has not been submitted to the Bureau of the Budget I am, therefore, unable to advise you at this time concerning its relationship to the program of the President Sincerely yours. J. A. KRUG, Secretary of the Interior PROVIDING FOR THE SETTLEMENT OF CERTAIN PARTS OF ALASKA BY WAR VETERANS JUNE 6, 1949.-Committed to the Committee of the Whole House on the State of the Union and ordered to be printed Mr. LEMKE, from the Committee on Public Lands, submitted the following REPORT [To accompany H. R. 4424] The Committee on Public Lands, to whom was referred the bill (H. R. 4424) to provide for the settlement of certain parts of Alaska by war veterans, having considered the same, report favorably thereon with an amendment and recommend that the bill as amended do pass. The amendment is as follows: Page 1, line 3, strike out all after the enacting clause and insert in lieu thereof the following: That the national defense and the national interest requires the settlement and development of Alaska in order to make possible the full utilization of its resources and to further the national security by providing in the area a firm foundation of permanent residents. The national interest also requires that land be made available to veterans who desire to undertake the development of virgin territory in order to secure land for themselves and their families and that such undertakings be encouraged to an extent commensurate with their value to the Nation. Because of the remoteness and climatic conditions of Alaska, settlement there involves greater expenses, financial risks, and physical hardships than does settlement in other parts of the United States. Large-scale settlement of the Territory requires a greater inducement to the pioneer settlement than exists at present. This Act is designed to provide the necessary inducement in the form of enlarged homesteads, while making certain that there will be a minimum of Government interference in the development of the land. This Act shall be cited as the "Alaska Veterans' Homesteading Act of 1949": Provided, however, That the priority given to veterans under this Act shall cease one year after the date of the designation for settlement of each area by the Secretary of the Interior, and all native born and naturalized citizens of the United States may then file on and acquire a home. steed under the provisions of this Act. TITLE I-DEFINITIONS SEC. 101. As used in this Act, the term "veteran" means any person who served in the armed forces of the United States during any war between the United States and any other nation, and who has been discharged or released therefrom under any conditions other than dishonorable. TITLE II-AREA SEC. 201. (a) Except for public lands excluded under subsection (b), public lands in the following parts of Alaska shall be made available for entry or settlement by veterans, notwithstanding any provision of law or regulation to the contrary: (1) That part of the Territory of Alaska known as the Panhandle, lying south of latitude sixty degrees, thirty minutes north, and east of longitude one hundred and forty-one degrees west. (2) That part of continenatal Alaska lying south of latitude sixty-three degrees north, and east of longitude one hundred and fifty-four degrees west, and south of latitude sixty-two degrees north, and longitude one hundred and sixty-seven degrees thirty minutes west. (3) Such islands, not including Unalaska and Unmak, as lie within two hundred miles offshore of the continental area designated in paragraph (2). (4) Areas on either side of the Alaska Highway for a distance of thirty miles. (5) Areas on either side of the Richardson Highway in South Central Alaska, from latitude sixty-three degrees north to its junction with the Alaska Highway at the village of Big Delta, for a distance of thirty miles. (6) Areas on either side of the Alaska Railroad from latitude sixty-three degrees north to Fairbanks, Alaska, for a distance of thirty miles. (b) The following public lands in the Territory of Alaska are excluded from entry or settlement under this Act: (1) National parks and monuments. (2) Military and naval reservations. (3) Town sites and lands withdrawn to protect the water supply of towns and cities. (4) Patented lands and lands located, entered, or settled under other public land laws. (5) Certain areas already designated in detail as reserves of spruce timber necessary for national defense. (6) Areas set apart for the support of an agricultural and mechanical college (U. S. C., 1940 edition, title 48, secs. 353, 354, and 354a). (7) The Annette Island reservation for Metlakahtla Indians. (8) Lands embraced in an existing valid coal, oil, or gas lease, or in a valid timber sale contract, or areas set aside as mineral reservations because of known mineral deposits. (9) Administrative sites. (10) Airfields. (11) Cemeteries and land reserved for cemeteries. (12) Areas classified in aid of legislation. (13) Lands reserved for the Veterans' Administration, the Coast and Geodetic Survey, the Bureau of Customs. the Public Health Service, and the Alaska Road Commission. (14) Lands reserved for the support of common schools. (15) Lands reserved for flood and fire control and for lighthouse, dock, and power purposes (16) Reservations for fish and wildlife preservation. (17) Native reservations and such lands as may hereafter be set aside for the use and benefit of Alaskan Indians or Eskimos. (18) Lands set aside for springs water supply, and water-supply protec tion. (19) Lands whose title is controlled and protected by title V. TITLE III-HOMESTEAD PROVISIONS SEC. 301. (a) That there is hereby created the Veterans' Alaska Homestead Claim, which shall be not less than three hundred and twenty acres: Provided. That no claim shall contain more than one hundred and sixty acres of arable agricultural land, which need not be contiguous with the rest of the claim, and the claim may be of any size up to and including two thousand five hundred and sixty acres; such size and shape being determined by the Secretary of the Interior, taking into account the type of land, location, and various uses therefor in order that the claim shall be an adequate family type agricultural, mixed agricultural, fur farming, grazing, or timber unit sufficient to support a family of seven on an American level of living: Provided, however, That if such claim is timberland that |