A NATIONAL PLAN FOB AMERICAN FORESTRY 1159 



live recognition; due probably to the fact that new standards of 

 public improvement and service have drawn heavily on county 

 finances, leaving little for types of investment that could be deferred. 

 In counties largely comprising forest lands, the depletion of the tim- 

 ber values and consequent reduction of tax income to the county has 

 tended to preclude any constructive action by the county. The num- 

 ber of counties systematically developing productive^ county forests 

 will progressively increase, but neither in number nor in total acreage 

 acquired will they be major factors in a program of public forestry in 

 the near future. 



The States are the smallest units of government, with rare excep- 

 tions, which have definitely formulated plans and programs of forest- 

 land acquisition; and only a minority of the States offer present 

 promise of carrying such programs into effective execution on any 

 considerable scale. States which still retain large areas of public land 

 granted by the Federal Government, and States containing large 

 areas which have reverted to public ownership through tax delin- 

 quency, or which promise to so revert in course of time, do not need 

 to devote part of their financial or other resources to the acquisition 

 of additional lands upon which to initiate the processes of forest 

 management; their chief problem is to make available the means 

 with which to redeem the obligation imposed by present holdings or 

 the involuntary accessions through tax reversion. In such States 

 acquisition of additional lands by purchase, exchange, or donation 

 will be important only as a means of creating better conditions of 

 management and administration through the elimination of private 

 holdings within units of management, or by the extension of unit 

 boundaries to more logical limits of administration. In this category 

 may properly be placed all States in the Lake, northern Rocky Moun- 

 tain, south Rocky Mountain, and Pacific coast regions, and some of 

 the States in the southeastern region. 



So far as the next decade or so is concerned, the probability of ex- 

 tensive State programs of forest-land acquisition by cash purchase, 

 exchange, or the solicitation of donations is strong only in the New 

 England, Middle Atlantic, and Central regions, plus one or two States 

 in the southeastern region. These groups of States now have little 

 or no land granted by the Federal Government. Their populations 

 are dense, their per capita wealth large, their lands possess sufficient 

 economic values to warrant continued private ownership and tax 

 payment, hence tax reversion is at a minimum. The social and eco- 

 nomic importance of forests is widely recognized and State policies 

 and programs of forest conservation are of longest standing and 

 greatest permanency. Due to these circumstances these States offer 



freatest promise of progressively developing and expanding their 

 tate forest systems by systematic acquisition of the essential lands. 

 State principles and procedures of acquisition are not greatly dis- 

 similar to those of the Federal Government. In each case sound and 

 conservative principles of land valuation and appraisal are developed 

 and adhered to. Purchases are confined to specifically defined areas 

 established wholly on the bases of public value and necessity. Provi- 

 sion normally is made for executive or legislative supervision and 

 control of purchases so as to avert any misuse of either public power 

 or public funds. The net result has been to place in State ownership 



168342 33 vol. 2 8 



