A NATIONAL PLAN FOB AMERICAN FORESTRY 61 



stimulated in 1924 with the passage of the Clarke-McNary Act, 

 which brought in various other kinds of aid. The latter was in fact 

 a carefully considered and publicly announced effort to try out on 

 a large scale the efficiency of aid in stimulating private owners to 

 shoulder the major part of the job of timber growing in the United 

 States, before attempting Nation-wide regulation or greatly enlarged 

 public ownership. 



The first decision which must be faced lies, therefore, between 

 three alternatives. Whether 



1. Because of the success of the trial of the public-aid plan or its 

 future promise primary dependence for the major part of the forestry 

 job should continue to be placed on private ownership stimulated by 

 public aid, which would probably mean a very much larger public 

 contribution; or 



2. Because of the failure of the plan or the demonstrated limitations 

 as to its future promise, public aid should be utilized only for greater 

 assurance of the necessary constructive private action on greatly 

 reduced private holdings. Public aid under this plan would be con- 

 siderably smaller, even though the time required for public acquisi- 

 tion is taken fully into account; or 



3. A possible third alternative of combining public aid with public 

 regulation will be considered under the latter heading. 



The decision between the first two alternatives has been antici- 

 pated in the discussion of private ownership. 



While the public has obtained fuUy commensurate returns from 

 the aid so far given, the detailed data already presented show the 

 trial of the first alternative during the last 20 and particularly the 

 last 10 years has not been entirely satisfactory. 



Private owners accept aid but too rarely carry their own efforts 

 farther. 



The devastation of forest land continues on a large scale. The 

 deterioration of forests continues on a much larger scale. Growing 

 stock or forest capital is reduced, when both public and private 

 interest require that it should be increased. These processes continue 

 both on the cut-over lands of the East and in the virgin timber stands 

 of the West. Watershed requirements are met only to the extent 

 that partial protection against fire can meet them. Constructive 

 measures of forest management and reforestation by planting lag far 

 behind the destructive processes. Ownership seems to be tending 

 toward less rather than greater stability. 



Much of the Federal aid designed to reach the private owner is 

 turned over to the States for administration. It has been a decided 

 or the controlling factor in the stimulation and development of a 

 forestry organization in at least half of the States, and of aid to the 

 private owner in practicaUy all of the 45 States and 2 Territories 

 where it is now given. 



The stimulus to State effort has been offset in part at least by the 

 inability or unwillingness of the States to match Federal-aid ratios. 

 This failure is often the most serious where the need is greatest, as 

 for example, in the South. 



In general, therefore, the conclusion is inescapable that with aid in 

 the forms so far extended, even though guaranteed in much larger 

 amounts, private ownership will fall far short of meeting national 

 needs. 



