A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



1097 



United States now controls 7,231,555 acres of land, of which 4,727,680 

 acres have been acquired by cash purchase under the provisions of 

 the acts above mentioned. " Figure 1 shows graphically the year-to- 

 year trend in (A) the total national-forest area and (B) in the area 

 acquired by purchase under the Weeks law and the amendatory 

 Clarke-McNary law. 



A brief discussion of the facts and circumstances leading up to the 

 adoption of this policy may, perhaps, be warranted. 



Immediately prior to the turn of the century the general trend of 

 forest land utilization created grave and widespread concern. Pro- 

 cesses of utilization were destructive and negative to future economic 

 and social progress and welfare. Concerted and systematic action 

 to check the tremendous losses due to fire, insects, and disease was 

 almost wholly lacking. Vast areas of land were in large degree 

 denuded of their chief elements of economic and social service, and 



FIGURE 1. Total net areas of national forests by years. 



wherever this condition prevailed it was marked by dying industries, 

 abandoned towns, economic maladjustments, eroded soils, impaired 

 navigability of streams, and the replacement of scenic beauty and 

 inspirational quality by ugliness and devastation. The obvious 

 trend constituted a definite menace to national ideals and objectives 

 and economic security. 



Preponderant opinion agreed that some form of remedial public 

 action imperatively was necessary to check this demoralizing trend. 

 The direct and immediate effects of the trend were local, but its 

 ultimate ramifications and consequences were national. By empha- 

 sizing different factors in the equation it was possible to place primary 

 responsibility for remedial action with either the county, the State or 

 the Federal Go verment . Generally, three maj or courses of action were 

 open to consideration, namely: 



1. Continuation of prevailing principles of private land manage- 

 ment and public land appropriation, depending on either voluntary 

 or enforced private action to conserve adequately the forests in 

 private ownership (a) without any public effort to protect or con- 

 serve either abandoned or unappropriated lands (a wholly impossible 

 formula), or (6) with only superficial State or county protection and 



