1072 A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



employ trained forestry personnel and to raise the standards of 

 organization and service, which in turn has been directly reflected in 

 more adequate protection of forest areas. 



LAKE STATES 



In the Lake States region a significant contribution of the Federal 

 Government has been assistance in building effective organization 

 and in coordination of the activities of adjoining States through the 

 field work of the Federal inspectors. Outstanding fire divisions have 

 been developed in each of the departments of conservation of Michi- 

 gan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota, partly through Federal cooperation. 

 Until recently the Federal funds, in themselves small in proportion 

 to State funds, have perhaps been of less significance than the con- 

 tribution to plans and policies, but in at least one of these States the 

 Federal financial aid has resulted in substantially increased areas 

 under systematic protection. 



CENTRAL 



The Central region includes Tennessee and Kentucky, which are 

 generally classed as Southern States and to which may be applied the 

 statements made for the South under the next heading. In the other 

 Central States as a group, Federal aid has been a developing influence 

 of large importance. In two States of this region cooperation has 

 been discontinued pending the revision of State programs. 



SOUTH 



In the South the feature of Federal cooperation of perhaps greatest 

 significance is its stimulating effect upon organization for the protec- 

 tion of forests from fire. All the States in this group have begun or 

 strengthened their protection work under the stimulus of available 

 Federal aid and with the help of Forest Service officers called into 

 consultation by State legislatures and civic groups. In five of the 

 States, the actual establishment of State forestry departments was 

 quite directly due to the availability of Federal funds to help in 

 carrying out forestry programs. In this region is found nearly half 

 of the total State and private forest area in the country which is 

 classed as needing public protection, more than 200 million acres, of 

 which 150 million acres or more is still unprotected. It is a region 

 where the forest is of great commercial importance and rapid growth 

 and where its protection and development have, thus far, received 

 inadequate public consideration. 



It is important to recall that efforts toward organized protection 

 of forest land in the South have been made only during the past few 

 years. In only 5 of the 11 States in the South was this work under- 

 taken as a State activity prior to 1925. Protection is here still in the 

 pioneer stage. Those in a position to effect State action probably do 

 not yet visualize the needs of forestry in true perspective in relation to 

 such other public enterprises as schools and roads. The needs and 

 the means of forest protection are now being actively presented, and 

 support of the work is steadily gaining. 



One of the greatest needs is the determination of forest and fire 

 facts and their proper presentation. Experience has proved that 



