A NATIONAL PLAN FOB AMERICAN FORESTRY 95 



accessible and are forest lands. It has become increasingly evident 

 that recreational uses of many kinds can go on alongside of other uses 

 of forest lands, such as conservative lumbering and grazing. Re- 

 creational uses such as hunting, fishing, camping, and climbing do not 

 require the exclusive devotion of the land to a single purpose. As 

 on the national forests, recreation on most lands can be simply one of 

 the products of multiple-purpose management. 



The use of forests as recreation grounds seems certain to be greatly 

 stimulated by the increasing leisure which will result from the general 

 trend toward a shorter working week. Because nearness and ready 

 availability to centers of population are essential if the socially 

 desirable outdoor recreation habit is to continue, the widest possible 

 distribution of forest areas is clearly in the national interest. The 

 trend of recreational development is strongly in the direction of 

 providing the simpler and less expensive forms of recreation, such as 

 picnicking, camping, fishing, and hunting. When recreation is 

 handled as a byproduct of forest production or watershed protection, 

 the cost to the public is naturally less than if furnished in a public 

 park. Later sections of this report will discuss in detail the forest 

 areas needed for recreation. 



FORESTS AND WILD LIFE 



The forest is the natural habitat of many species of fur bearers 

 and upland game, including game birds and many of the finest big- 

 game animals. An overwhelming majority of the hunting for big- 

 game animals and upland birds is in the forest areas. The deer is by 

 all odds the most important big-game animal, if for no other reason 

 than its relative abundance and wide distribution. It is typically 

 a forest species. Even where heavily hunted, it maintains itself or 

 increases, provided it receives any sort of reasonable protection under 

 the game laws, and provided that its forest habitat is not destroyed. 

 Other game species and fur bearers as well can maintain themselves 

 only if their natural habitat of woodland is maintained. 



A very large proportion of the inland fishing waters are affected 

 by the treatment of the forest land. Erosion, following deforestation, 

 generally results in muddy streams which afford an unfavorable 

 habitat for most game fish. Denuded watersheds commonly give 

 rise to intermittent flow of streams, with a tendency to reach such low 

 levels of flow that only a portion of the normal fish population can be 

 supported. Removal of the forest shade results in a rise in water 

 temperature which is deleterious to trout and other important species 

 of game fish. 



Hunting and fishing, like other forms of outdoor recreation, are 

 available to the great majority of people only if the hunting and 

 fishing grounds are accessible within a short distance and at low cost. 

 To serve this public end is a major function of forests. 



FORESTS AS LIVESTOCK RANGES 



In many parts of the West, with relatively small areas of crop 

 land, the mainstay of agriculture is the production of meat, hides, 

 and wool. The forest ranges carry the flocks and herds for part or 

 most of the year, and the crop land produces hay and grain to carry 

 them during the winter. The 83 million acres of national-forest- 



