604 A NATIONAL PLAN" FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



which set up a definite scheme for doing the work in the most time- 

 saving way, but always aiming at established standards of quality. 

 Coordinate with this is the training given the entire organization by 

 means of group training camps for both new and old men, meetings 

 for the discussion of problems and adoption of new policies and 

 programs, study courses conducted by correspondence on subjects 

 directly related to the work, and the systematic placing of recruits 

 under capable older men for breaking in. 



One reason why these efforts have borne so much fruit lies in the 

 permanency of the wholly non-political organization which it has been 

 possible to build up under civil service appointment and in accord- 

 ance with well-established, long-time objectives and policies. Too 

 many State forest organizations have been unstable because of 

 political influences or lack of a definite program understood and 

 supported by the public. Too often privately emploved foresters 

 have been among the first to be discharged when adversity overtook 

 their employers. Forestry is a job demanding permanence of or- 

 ganization and program. 



Coordinate with the permanency of the national-forest organization 

 is the character of the organization. It is one in which there are few 

 single line specialists, but rather men who are trained in the conception 

 of the multiple but coordinated purposes of the national forests, and 

 who are called upon to do well many different sorts of work. Thus 

 the forest ranger marks and scales timber, inspects the grazing 

 ranges, builds and repairs telephone lines, fights fire, lays out and 

 develops campgrounds, and does a multiptude of other things, dove- 

 tailing them through the medium of his work plan. This makes for 

 a large saving of time and expense otherwise inevitable under an 

 organization built up differently, along strictly functional lines. 



Figure 7, while omitting the less time-consuming activities, gives 

 a good idea of the large volume of work on the national forests in a 

 normal year and emphasizes the importance of systematized execu- 

 tion. 



The national forests have not yet become self-supporting. Aside 

 from the expenditures which go into capital investments, such as 

 improvements, planting, fundamental research, and the like, they 

 could easily in normal times be made to pay from income the current 

 administrative and protective costs if the sale of national-forest tim- 

 ber were pushed without regard to the general economic effect of 

 such action, if the grazing privileges were leased to the highest bidder 

 instead of apportioned among those most dependent thereon at a fee 

 fixed at the lower end of the commercial range and that fee occa- 

 sionally remitted or reduced by Congress or administrative action 

 when severe drought or similar adversity overtakes the ranges and if 

 all recreation were put on a charge basis. Table 3 shows the national- 

 forest costs and receipts for the 10-year period ending with the fiscal 

 year 1930, the last reasonably normal business year. This compari- 

 son shows that the ratio of receipts to the straight current costs of 

 protecting and administering the national forests, including main- 

 tenance of improvements, during the 10-year period never dropped 

 below 55 percent and ranged from that figure up to 99 percent, with 

 a 10-year average of 72 percent. Later, when the timber resources 

 are fully utilized, the current income will undoubtedly substantially 

 exceed the current expense, though some added personnel will be 

 required as the business substantially further increases. 



