202 OUR USE OF THE LAND 



lumbermen cut about twice as many more board feet than 

 grow. This means that forest depletion is very rapid. The worst 

 part of this is that the timber which is cut is practically all 

 mature sound timber, while most of trie growth is occurring 

 in second-class timber. Douglas firs, redwoods, cypress, which 

 take anywhere from one hundred to one thousand years to 

 grow, are being cut, while the increased growth is adding to 

 trees of inferior form or species. If the forests of the United 

 States were on a sustained yield basis, the increase in growth 

 would be somewhat greater than the amount cut. 



The activities of the Forest Service are an example of sue' 

 cessful bureaucratic administration within a democracy. This 

 success was due primarily to an extraordinarily efficient and 

 well-chosen personnel. However, another reason for the success 

 of this type of administration in this instance is the fact that the 

 Forest Service is managing government property. This prop 

 erty, unlike most of our other land resources, is a reserve. In 

 deciding which form of government is best to administer the 

 various resources of our land, it is always necessary to think 

 of the use of that resource. The type of government best suited 

 for that resource is frequently determined by the direct eco 

 nomic importance of the resource. 



The national forests are not the primary source of income for 

 any considerable number of people. Consequently, the number 

 of people directly dependent on the regulations laid down by the 

 Forest Service is much less than those who are affected by the 

 Agricultural Adjustment Administration, for instance. As an 

 agency of government, the Forest Service is a kind of policing 

 organisation appointed to protect the property of the nation. 

 The Agricultural Adjustment Administration, on the other 

 hand, is an agent of the individual land users. It cannot act with 

 out the consent of the people who are directly affected by it. 



In the future, the national forests will become more impor- 



