96 A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



range land are essential in the agriculture of many western areas. 

 The forest range is notably important also in large areas of the southern 

 pine region, where the characteristically open growth of timber 

 allows an undergrowth of nutritious grasses. In these and other 

 regions the forage from forest ranges is a vital part of the agricultural 

 economy. Without it, the opportunity for successful farming would 

 be materially reduced. 



The forage crop on many forest ranges has been depleted in quan- 

 tity and deteriorated in quality through persistent overgrazing. 

 Unrestricted and excessive grazing in many places has damaged or 

 destroyed the small trees and seedlings and thus prevented repro- 

 duction of the forest. By destroying the protective ground cover 

 and trampling the soil it has led to serious erosion and gullying. 

 Under a properly regulated system of grazing these things would 

 not have happened, for it is entirely possible with careful manage- 

 ment to utilize the forage crop without harm to the forest values. 

 On millions of acres of western ranges, the carrying capacity had been 

 reduced greatly before the national forests were established and a 

 system of range control inaugurated. Since then these ranges have 

 been greatly improved as a result of systematic management. 



If properly handled, the forests of the West and other regions can 

 continue to furnish range for large numbers of domestic livestock, 

 while at the same time they are producing timber, protecting water- 

 sheds, and furnishing opportunities for recreation. 



FORESTS AND FOREST INDUSTRIES ARE IMPORTANT 

 ELEMENTS IN OUR ECONOMIC STRUCTURE 



Nearly one third of the country's land area, or approixmately 600 

 million acres, is forest land of one sort or another. This is a greater 

 area than all of the United States east of the Mississippi River. 

 It is half again as large as all of our crop land. In 32 States the area 

 of forest land exceeds the combined areas of crop land and plowable 

 pasture, and in 23 of these it is from twice to more than twenty 

 times as great. 



The value of our forests and primary forest industries has been 

 estimated at something over 10 billion dollars. The gross value of 



Sx>ducts averaged close to 2 billion dollars a year just prior to 1929. 

 uring the last 100 years the value at the mill of sawed lumber alone 

 has aggregated between 30 and 35 billion dollars, and the value of 

 all products was certainly not less than 50 billions. 



In 1929 the forest and woodworking industries employed directly 

 1,300,000 workers, or about 2 l / 2 percent of the gainfully employed 

 persons in the United States. The building industries, which to a 

 considerable extent depend upon forest products in one form or 

 another, gave employment to more than 2,500,000 persons. In each 

 of 20 States more than 30,000 workers were employed directly by 

 the forest and woodworking industries (including pulp and paper 

 manufacture). The number employed exceeded 50,000 in 10 of 

 these, including such widely separated States as New York, Wash- 

 ington, Michigan, Illinois, and North Carolina. In Washington 

 and Oregon 135,000 persons, or one eighth of all those gainfully 

 employed, were engaged in this group of industries. 



Imports of forest products, including paper, amounted to more 

 than $400,000,000 in 1929, or nearly one tenth of all our imports. 



