552 A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



FOREST GRAZING IN THE CENTRAL, LAKE, MIDDLE 

 ATLANTIC, AND NEW ENGLAND STATES 



On the forest lands of the Central, Lake, Middle Atlantic, and New 

 England States grazing is confined almost entirely to farm woodlands. 

 It is mainly a pasture type, as contrasted to the open range type of 

 grazing prevalent in the West and South. The most intensive use of 

 forest lands by livestock occurs in the Central States, but farm wood- 

 lands are pastured at least to some extent throughout the whole region. 



The area under consideration is so large and the use of the forest 

 lands by livestock offers such diverse conditions in different sections, 

 that few generalized statements are possible. Of the 63 million acres 

 of farm woodland in these regions over 36 million acres (1930 census), 

 or 57 percent, are grazed. There are approximately 106 million 

 acres of forest land in other private ownership, mostly in larger 

 holdings of sufficient size for commercial lumbering operations. 

 These have been mainly cut over. It is estimated that excluding 

 farm woodland there are less than 6 million acres of forest area grazed 

 to any great extent by livestock in these regions. 



The grazed forest areas have an important part in the social welfare 

 of the regions. Although they support only a diminishing residue 

 of the original forest cover, they still produce a portion of the wood 

 used in these regions and can be restored to a higher state of timber 

 productivity with careful management. Only in the more open 

 timber stands is sufficient forage produced to furnish a supplemental 

 income of much value to the owners but, on farm woodlands especially, 

 the trees are often used to advantage as shelter for livestock. On 

 highly erosive soils, as shown in the section on" Watershed and Related 

 Forest Influences", these forests have a high watershed-protective 

 value, where the undergrowth and forest reproduction have not been 

 too severly damaged by excessive grazing and trampling. Forests 

 are especially desirable in these States for recreational, educational, 

 and wild life uses. Recreational and wild life values are practically 

 impossible to determine fully in terms of money, but generally are 

 recognized as necessary for the complete well being of both the urban 

 and rural population. 



The function of forest pastures in the livestock industry varies con- 

 siderably in character and value in different parts of this group of 

 forest regions. According to the 1930 census, these regions have a 

 total of over 36% million cattle, both beef and dairy breeds; Y7% million 

 sheep; and 41% million hogs. Of these livestock, approximately 

 59 percent of the cattle, 69 percent of the sheep, and 82 percent of 

 the hogs are in the Central States. A considerable portion of the 

 livestock use forests at some time during the year. In the Corn 

 Belt States Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Iowa the farm woodlands 

 are so heavily stocked that little forage remains even in the open 

 stands, and their principal value is for shade and protection to live- 

 stock. Outside of the Corn Belt, the farms have more open pasture 

 land available and fewer stock; consequently the intensity of grazing 

 in the forests is considerably lessened. 



THE FORAGE ON FOREST LANDS 



Studies by the Department of Agriculture and State experiment 

 stations have shown that in the Lake, Middle Atlantic, New England, 

 and most of the Central States little real forage is produced in the 



