32 A NATIONAL PLAN FOE AMERICAN FORESTRY 



THE NEED FOR PUBLIC HUNTING AND FISHING GROUNDS 



Nearly 450 million acres of our forest land is in private ownership, 

 which means that the only assured areas which remain for public 

 hunting are the publicly owned lands. 



Although less emphatic than in the case of game, the present ten- 

 dency is toward the exclusion of the public from the more desirable 

 angling waters within private lands. This creates the same need for 

 public-fishing grounds. 



The area of public lands is much the largest in the West because of 

 the existence of the national forests. In the East, the national 

 forests make up only 2 percent of the total area of forest lands. 

 State forests and parks are less than 3 percent. 



THE PROBLEM OF FOREST RANGES 



Grazing use of 334 million acres, or more than half of the total of 

 615 million acres of forest land, shows that the forage constitutes one 

 of the important products of the forest. 



The large areas which can be so utilized under proper management 

 will increase the returns to the owner, contribute to the economic and 

 social welfare of local communities, and furnish in part the raw re- 

 source for the livestock industry. 



THE WESTERN PROBLEM 



The largest and most critical western forest range problem is that 

 on 42 million acres of privately owned lands. 



In an effort to obtain the maximum immediate financial returns, 

 ring has been so heavy that over large areas the forage resource 

 been reduced to less than half its original density. This has 

 reduced watershed protection still more and in some instances pre- 

 vented full timber reproduction and growth. The effects on the live- 

 stock industry and economic and social community development and 

 welfare differ only in degree from those of forest devastation and 

 deterioration. 



The problem of the forest ranges of the unmanaged Federal public 

 domain is equally critical on a smaller area, approximately 21} 2 / mil- 

 lion acres. Unrestricted private use of this range has resulted in 

 forage, watershed, forest, economic, and social conditions similar to 

 those indicated in the preceding paragraph. 



On about 4 million acres of State forest ranges grazing privileges 

 have ordinarily been leased without supervision of use. Results diner 

 but little from those on privately owned lands and the Federal public 

 domain. 



The problem on the 64 million acres of forest ranges in the national 

 forests and the 12 million on Indian reservations is a fuller correlation 

 with timber production and watershed protection and the improve- 

 ment of the range resource itself now under way but not yet fully 

 completed. 



THE EASTERN PROBLEM 



The eastern forest range problem is almost entirely one of private 

 ownership. 



That of the southern ranges is largely unrestricted use, often by 

 others than the owner of the land, and the uncontrolled use of fire. 



