1074 A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



were insufficient. In 1932 the State contribution, 19 percent of the 

 total, was entirely for the protection of State land. Federal expendi- 

 tures constituted 19 percent of the total and applied in part to State 

 land. The public thus shared less than 19 percent of the cost of 

 protecting privately owned land in that State. The agricultural 

 southern counties, with predominating legislative representation, 

 would no doubt effectively check large undertakings by the State 

 which would appear to benefit only timberland owners in the north. 

 Even so, the State biennial appropriation increased from $80,000, in 

 1924, the year previous to Clarke-McNary appropriations, to 

 $150,000 in 1932. 



Although the problem for the future appears to be too great for the 

 forest protective machinery thus far set up, it is true that protection 

 has been greatly advanced by Federal cooperation in this region. 

 The protection system here may in some cases be a temporary 

 expedient, but even if so, it is a very important one. 



It is to be hoped that the experience of many countries and of other 

 States may not need to be suffered in this " Inland Empire" region 

 the cutting out and abandoning of the forest. Already the public is 

 protecting its interest much more than did such regions as New 

 England and the Lake States during the corresponding periods in 

 their forest history. This is a hopeful sign. The picture of other 

 States now spending millions to bring back the departed glories of 

 the forest is no doubt exerting its influence upon the Northwest 

 today. It is the writer's opinion that the northwestern regions will 

 keep their cut-over lands under protection and that Federal coopera- 

 tion will be an important factor in this accomplishment. 



SOUTH ROCKY MOUNTAIN 



In only three States of the South Rocky Mountain region has forest 

 fire protective cooperation been undertaken, namely, in Nevada, New 

 Mexico, and South Dakota. In New Mexico the private owners and 

 the State contract the work to the Federal Government. Federal aid 

 has resulted in a listing of State land with the Forest Service for pro- 

 tection and in the initiation of protection on some private lands and 

 its retention on others. In Nevada a somewhat similar result has been 

 secured. Without Federal cooperation here the protection effort of 

 private owners would be of much less effect. In South Dakota, 

 Federal cooperation has resulted in legislation enabling the State to 

 protect 124,000 acres of forest land, mostly privately owned. 



The area of forest land which is outside the national forests in other 

 States of this region is not great enough to have given rise to cooper- 

 ative State projects up to the present. 



SUMMARY OF RESULTS IN FEDERAL AID IN FOREST FIRE 



PROTECTION 



1. Federal cooperation has been an important factor in the estab- 

 lishment of 12 State forestry departments. In 17 States the protec- 

 tion of private forest land was commenced as a State activity as the 

 direct result of Federal cooperation. 



2. Under Federal cooperation the area of State and private forest 

 land receiving organized protection increased from 95 million acres 

 in 1915 to 228 million acres in 1931. Should this same rate of increase 



