A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICA^ FORESTRY 1209 



belief that most forest land would, after the timber was removed, be 

 absorbed in agriculture. While there was altogether a large acreage 

 of timber on soil that was too rocky or too steep to be cultivated, even 

 that land was thought to have pasturage possibilities. As a rule no 

 effort whatever was made to preserve conditions that would result in 

 another crop of timber. 



Today, as a result of a long period of adversity for agriculture, the 

 view is quite different. Owners of forest land have now very widely 

 accepted the opinion that such land holds small promise of being 

 valuable for economic purposes other than timber growing. Great 

 progress has therefore been made toward a general understanding that 

 fires are a detriment to future values rather than a help in preparing 

 the land for a better use. That realization has not, however, resulted 

 in a universally active interest in fire protection on the part of land- 

 owners. A large percentage of cut-over land now supports no timber 

 of merchantable size and quality, and contains little young growth 

 of any considerable size. The possibility of cutting another timber 

 crop from it is too far removed to be of definite interest to the average 

 landowner, and the sale value of young-growth forests, except in the 

 Northeastern States and the naval-stores region in the South, has 

 been as a rule very small. Hence owners have been deprived of any 

 financial incentive for protecting such lands. 



On the other hand, where forests constitute present marketable 

 values that are in danger of destruction from fire, the interest of the 

 owners has been keen, and large sums of money have been expended 

 by them for protection. But the owner's expenditure will necessarily 

 be in proportion to what he regards as his risk of loss, and it cannot be 

 expected that private activity in protecting cut-over forest land will 

 be great unless increase in values through growth promises more 

 than enough to offset protection and carrying charges. Owners have 

 no difficulty in understanding this proposition. It is believed, how- 

 ever, that timber values are in sight on many cut-over lands, much 

 nearer than the owners now appreciate. A great opportunity for 

 Federal aid lies in building up better morale among landowners with 

 respect to fire protection. The means provided are definitely suited 

 to the purpose, though not yet adequate, namely, sharing the burden 

 of costs and pointing out prospective values on the land. At present 

 the success of Federal aid is severely handicapped by the pessimism 

 of many owners. 



PUBLIC ATTITUDE TOWARD FOREST FIRE PROTECTION 



The former indifferent attitude of the resident nonlandowning pub- 

 lic toward forest fires has changed greatly during the last 20 years as a 

 result of anti-fire propaganda and the growing opposition of owners 

 to forest burning as such. Except in some regions in the South, forest 

 fires are very generally regarded as an evil and their prevention and 

 suppression as an obligation. There is still not a sufficiently aroused 

 public feeling, however, or a sufficient feeling of personal responsibility 

 to make adequate protection possible at reasonable cost in many parts 

 of the country. 



Again, in the regions of larger timber land holdings there may be 

 found an unsympathetic attitude toward fire protection because of a 

 rather widespread antagonism to the corporations or individuals 



