42 A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



THE MAGNITUDE AND COST OF THE UNDERTAKING NECESSITATE 

 NATIONAL PLANNING 



Despite all efforts to date, total growth in our forests is only half 

 the total drain, and growth of saw timber only one-fifth the drain. 

 We still have millions of acres of devastated land and more millions 

 of deteriorated forest. The processes of devastation and deterioration 

 are continuing on a large scale. 



It is obvious that millions of acres must be put under intensive 

 forest management, the production of millions more increased by 

 better methods of cutting and fire protection, millions of acres planted, 

 the scale of research greatly increased, aid to private owners increased, 

 and public ownership greatly enlarged. 



It follows that both the magnitude and the cost of the programs 

 required will be so great that they will necessitate the maximum pos- 

 sible effort of all agencies for years to come. They will also require 

 the fullest possible coordination of these efforts. 



Without national planning the necessary effort would be almost 

 out of the question, and serious, costly, time-consuming mistakes 

 would be inevitable. 



THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF DOING EVERYTHING AT ONCE NECESSITATES 



NATIONAL PLANNING 



Entirely aside from the inherent time element of growing timber, 

 or at least that of high quality, all progress so far made in American 

 forestry has been time consuming. 



It has required 42 years from the setting aside of the first national 

 forest from the public domain to acquire and put under administra- 

 tion the 157 million acres from this source. It has required 22 years 

 to purchase 4,727,680 acres of national forests. 



New York began in 1883 to build up its present holdings of 2,500,- 

 000 acres. The protection of private lands against fire has risen to 

 212 million acres as a result of 45 years of effort. It has required 

 in the neighborhood of 30 years' effort by industrial owners to put 

 approximately 2} million acres under sustained yield management. 

 Planting by all agencies has to date covered less than 2 million acres. 



It follows that time must be reckoned with seriously; that every- 

 thing cannot be done overnight ; that progress must be made step by 

 step; and in short that the time required to get things done empha- 

 sizes the need for national planning. 



It seems conclusive, therefore, that national planning is absolutely 

 necessary for meeting the three major objectives in the solution of 

 our major forest problems, which can be summed up in one, to 

 obtain the full economic and social benefits of the forest. National 

 planning is so essential that it could itself be classed as a major 

 objective. 



THE REQUIRED ACTIVITY PROGRAMS IN A NATIONAL 



PLAN 



The national plan recommended falls into two groups of programs, 

 one of technical activities, which is outlined here, the other in the 

 following subsection of the most effective agencies and means for 

 carrying out these activities. 



