1054 A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



FEDERAL AID IN FOREST-FIRE PROTECTION 



THE WEEKS LAW 

 (Act of Mar. 1, 1911; 36 Stat. 961) 



The Weeks law was the first of the present-day Federal aid measures 

 enacted by Congress which embodied the condition of equal sharing 

 of expenditure by the States. Various forms of land grants had, of 

 course, been made long before this. Measures had also been taken by 

 Congress in support of State colleges of agriculture and of agricultural 

 experiment stations. By the passage of the Weeks law a lump sum 

 of $200,000 was made available until expended 



to enable the Secretary of Agriculture to cooperate with any State or group of 

 States, when requested to do so, in the protection from fire of the forested water- 

 sheds of navigable streams; and the Secretary of Agriculture is hereby authorized, 

 and on such conditions as he deems wise, to stipulate and agree with any State 

 or group of States to cooperate in the organization and maintenance of a system 

 of fire protection on any private or State forest lands within such State or States 

 and situated upon the watershed of a navigable river: Provided, That no such 

 stipulation or agreement shall be made with any State which has not provided 

 by law for a system of forest fire protection: Provided further, That in no case 

 shall the amount expended in any State exceed in any fiscal year the amount 

 appropriated by that State for the same purpose during the same fiscal year. 



During the fiscal year 1911, cooperation was undertaken with 11 

 States under this act. The number increased steadily to a total of 

 29 States in 1925, and meanwhile additional appropriations were 

 made under the act. During the calendar year 1911, $36,692 Fed- 

 eral, $165,975 State, and $54,590 private money was expended upon 

 the protection of approximately 60,779,000 acres of forested water- 

 sheds. In the fiscal year 1925, the last year prior to cooperation 

 under the Clarke-McNary law, the corresponding amounts spent 

 were $397,651 Federal and $1,844,192 State and private. Combined 

 expenditures under the Weeks law were thus increased nearly tenfold 

 from 1911 to 1925, and the area of forest land under cooperative pro- 

 tection in 1925 was three times that in 191 1 . 



THE CLARKE-McNARY LAW 



(Act of June 7, 1924; 43 Stat. 653) 



This act continued the Federal cooperation started with the States 

 under the Weeks law, which was superseded in that respect. It 

 removed the limitation of protection to forested watersheds of 

 navigable streams, provided for cooperation through the States with 

 private forest owners, and added the important provisions contained 

 in sections 3, 4, and 5 for forest taxation studies, for cooperation 

 with the States in the production and distribution of forest planting 

 stock for windbreaks, shelter belts, and farm wood lots, and for 

 cooperation in farm forestry extension. 



The following are the provisions of sections 1,2, and 3 of the Clarke- 

 McNary law : 



That the Secretary of Agriculture is hereby authorized and directed, in coopera- 

 tion with appropriate officials of the various States or other suitable agencies, to 

 recommend for each forest region of the United States such systems of forest fire 

 prevention and suppression as will adequately protect the timbered and cut-over 

 lands therein with a view to the protection of forest and water resources and the 

 continuous production of timber on lands chiefly suitable therefor. 



