472 A NATIONAL PLAN FOB AMERICAN FORESTRY 



The importance of the primeval in the more subtle aspects of forest 

 recreation is much less generally recognized. Yet observation of 

 many recreationists gives convincing evidence that most of those who 

 visit the forests for contemplation, inspiration, communion with na- 

 ture, or enjoyment of the beautiful receive very much more pleasure 

 from the beauty of primeval areas than from the beauty of areas mod- 

 ified by man. To argue that because lovers of the woods get some 

 enjoyment from cut-over lands it is unnecessary to finance the reten- 

 tion of samples of the primeval w^ould be as unconvincing as to argue 

 that because lovers of music may get some enjoyment from the con- 

 certs of mediocre pianists it is unnecessary to finance a Paderewski 

 or a Rachmaninoff. 



It seems necessary not only to reserve samples of the primeval but 

 to reserve a considerable number of such samples in every important 

 forest type in the country. There are at least three important reasons 

 for this: First, in order to avoid such overcrowding as would speedily 

 destroy primeval conditions; second, to make the advantages of pri- 

 meval areas readily accessible to people in as many different parts of 

 each forest region as possible; and third, because there is still so much 

 danger that any forest stand will be wiped out by fire or insects. 

 Therefore, unless it is already too late, at least half a dozen primeval 

 areas should be set aside in every forest type. 



It is not reasonable to contend that if all the samples of primeval 

 conditions in one forest type were destroyed other forest types would 

 do as well. Each timber type has its own unique charms, its own 

 unduplicated manifestation of beauty the destruction of which would 

 distinctly lessen the potential esthetic enjoyment of nature. There 

 are as great differences between the beauty of the redwood, the 

 Engelmann spruce, the western white pine, the northeastern hard- 

 wood, the southern pine, and the cypress forests as there are between 

 the paintings of De Vinci, Turner, Rembrandt, Sargent, Goya, and 

 Diego de Riviera. If anyone proposed that public expenditures for 

 the housing of art should be reduced by disposing of the works of 

 Turner, Sargent, and De Riviera, because their paintings are less 

 distinguished than those of the others the suggestion would be greeted 

 with uproarious derision, because everyone knows that art cannot be 

 relatively evaluated, and that it is of the utmost importance to pre- 

 serve the finest example of each important type. Similarly no defen- 

 sible rating can be made of the relative beauty of timber stands, and 

 consequently each important type should be preserved in the museum 

 of the forest. 



In general, the same primeval area may be put to scientific and 

 recreational use. On certain areas, however, recreational use will 

 have to be entirely barred in order to permit undisturbed research. 

 In any event, visitors to primeval areas will be subjected to certain 

 restrictions. Except on spacious areas it will not be possible to permit 

 camping, for any great amount of such activity tends to deteriorate 

 the primeval with exceptional rapidity. Where there are large num- 

 bers of visitors it will be desirable to construct trails through the area 

 to save underbrush and reproduction from trampling. 



The minimum area necessary for the maintanence of primeval con- 

 ditions varies with forest type, climate, and topography. In general 

 the Forest Service believes that 1,000 acres is about the smallest area 

 desirable, though in special cases where so much as 1,000 acres of 



