574 A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



THE ACQUISITION PROGRAM 



With the approval of the National Forest Reservation Commis- 

 sion, the Secretary of Agriculture has set up a program of 41 purchase 

 units under the purchase policy established by the Weeks law and 

 enlarged by the Clarke-McNary law. Of the total area proposed for 

 Federal management under this program between 14 and 15 million 

 acres almost exactly half is now under Federal control; 2,503,875 

 acres having been reserved from the public domain, transferred from 

 other forms of reservation, or acquired by exchange, and 4,727,680 

 acres obtained by purchase at an average cost of $4.48 per acre. 

 The remaining half has been estimated to cost about $4.05 per acre, 

 but the current decline in land values probably forecasts a somewhat 

 lower price. Table 2 shows in detail the status of the program as of 

 June 30, 1932. 



