56 A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



Five years' development under the McSweeney-McNary Forest 

 Research Act has shown the need for several modifications. 



One of the most important is to double the authorization for annual 

 expenditures of $250,000 in the Forest Survey in order to expedite its 

 completion. National plans such as that presented here must of 

 necessity be modified periodically to meet changing conditions. To 

 help supply the data needed, provision should also be made for keeping 

 important factual data current after the completion of the initial 

 Survey. 



The second is to add a section to the act which will place investiga- 

 tions of the crucial erosion-streamflow problem on the same footing as 

 other forest research, and authorize annual expenditures of $500,000. 



A third, which might if desirable, be incorporated in general 

 legislation for all land, is to authorize a maximum annual expenditure 

 of from $250,000 to $400,000 for the forest land part of land classifica- 

 tion. 



Under the research act thus amended the 10-year financial pro- 

 gram of annual increases for all research in the Forest Service would 

 start at $565,000 and end at $315,000. 



Detailed estimates cannot be made satisfactorily for a longer period, 

 although it is practically certain that unfilled needs will then neces- 

 sitate further increases. 



The Forest Research Act also provides for investigations in forest 

 pathology in the Bureau of Plant Industry, in forest entomology in 

 the Bureau of Entomology, in forest biology in the Biological Survey, 

 and in forest fire weather research in the Weather Bureau. The 

 need in all is to increase appropriations to the full amount of the 

 authorizations by the fiscal year 1938. Increases for all this work 

 would average about $100,000 annually. The need is also to provide 

 for whatever emergencies may result from serious epidemics. 



For research by the Bureau of Fisheries in connection with fish 

 cultural operations in forest waters it is estimated that an annual 

 appropriation of $25,000 will be needed. 



The National Arboretum should also have a place in the Federal 

 program because of the contribution which it can make to various 

 fundamental problems. It would be of particular value because of 

 the presence in Washington of so many scientific groups working on 

 different phases of forest research. 



BY THE STATES 



Since forest research by the Federal Government must be con- 

 centrated on national and regional probelms and deal with only local 

 Eroblems only as they are required for the management of Federal 

 inds, a large field must be covered by the States. 

 It is believed that the States would be justified during the next 10 

 years in building up their research from current annual expenditures 

 of about $400,000 to $2,500,000. 



BY ENDOWED INSTITUTIONS 



Completely to meet the need for fundamental forest research and to 

 round out the efforts of other agencies, the establishment of an institu- 

 tion devoted solely to forest research is most desirable. It could take 

 the form of the single, closely-knit organization recommended by the 



