[Tailback]

Land in much of the West is essentially worthless without water rights, so nobody bought it.

The National Forests in Oregon are being horrifically mismanaged. There is plenty of water in the Cascades in Oregon, and homestead properties would be snapped up in a heartbeat. Timber could be harvested once again instead of being left to bark beetles and forest fires.

[Sherman Logan]

You’re talking National Forest. My comments have been mostly regarding BLM land. The two are related but distinct issues.

Most Forest land in the west is in mountains and is well wooded. (Obviously.) It was withdrawn from sale as “Forest Reserves” starting in 1891. Given the way loggers were misusing timber resources on private land at the time, it’s difficult to argue this wasn’t a wise decision. (Which is not to say that it’s still relevant.)

Most BLM land is semi-arid or desert. Much of this land was still available for purchase as late as the 70s, but with few if any buyers.