A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 591 



opment of these public properties. They benefit many millions of 

 people, create additional taxable resources, yield a substantial annual 

 return to the Treasury, and yet involve only a minor percentage of 

 the national-forest lands. Extreme care is taken to prevent any 

 monopoly detrimental to full public use of the national forests, or 

 the establishment of any adverse rights. All exclusive occupancy 

 under permit is carefully planned and safeguarded by appropirate 

 contract provisions. 



The public early discovered the recreational opportunities in the 

 national forests and has been taking advantage of them in rapidly 

 increasing numbers. Though it is obviously impossible to obtain an 

 exact count of national-forest recreationists, forest officers have been 

 able to get a very fair approximation of their number by periodic 

 counts at established points, tourists registers, etc. Despite the room 

 for substantial error and for duplication of count, these figures give 

 an excellent idea of the growth in the recreational use of the national 

 forests. For 1917 the estimate of national-forest visitors was 

 3,160,300; for 1931, over 32,000,000 a tenfold increase. Of the 

 1931 visitors, 493,235 were occupants of permitted residences on the 

 national forests, or their guests; 1,618,510 were guests at hotels and 

 resorts; 2,193,843 were campers; 3,765,027 were picnickers; and 

 24,037,428 were transient travelers on or across the national forests 

 who may or may not have made casual stops. 



Recreational use assumes many forms. There is the family which 

 wishes to make its summer home in the national forests, by a stream 

 or a lake, or just "in the woods". There are 11,583 permits for 

 residence cabins of this sort in existence, covering structures ranging 

 from a simple 1-room cabin to much more elaborate dwellings with 

 their own light plants and water systems. 



Then there are the fishermen, the hunters, the berry pickers, the 

 hikers, the picknickers, and those who "just camp", for those who 

 desire that form of living there are resort developments with bunga- 

 lows and hotels, and 933 resorts of various sorts are covered by the 

 permits issued to December 31, 1931. 



Municipally operated camps have been developed under permit in 

 some of the national forests, notably in southern California, where 

 city residents may enjoy a 2 weeks' vacation at low expense. There 

 is room for much of this development. 



In order to retain a suitable proportion of the outdoors in as nearly 

 its original state as possible, where those with pack horse or back 

 pack may find areas possessed of only the primitive transportation 

 facilities trails or the way wholly undefined the Forest Service has 

 so far designated 54 primitive areas, totaling 9,018,298 acres, em- 

 bracing nearly every typical natural condition. Here, where the eco- 

 nomic resources are limited, the plan is to keep out public roads and 

 other developments smacking of civilization. 



As a means of providing for the large number of campers places 

 where they may camp under sanitary conditions and build fires safely, 

 simple camp grounds have been prepared containing simple toilets, 

 crude fireplaces, garbage disposal facilities, and safe drinking water. 

 This is a joint recreational and fire-protection development, and is 

 highly valuable for the latter purpose in its concentration of forest 

 use involving camp fires. The need for this form of development is 



