1244 A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



devastation of some 850,000 acres annually. The natural reforesta- 

 tion of this devastated land is very slow, and meanwhile millions of 

 acres lie unproductive for decades. In addition to the devastated 

 area, 36 million acres are annually subject to deteriorating effects 

 because of elimination of the better species from the stands through 

 unwise cutting and fire. Fires alone, in the period 1926-30, burned 

 annually an average of 41 } million acres, causing great deterioration 

 and devastation. Of the total 495 million acres of commercial forest 

 area, some 275 million acres, cut over one or more times, are pro- 

 ducing at only a fraction of their normal capacity. (See section 

 entitled " Current Forest Devastation and Deterioration.") Kecla- 

 mation of any large portion of these lands under private ownership 

 seems remote. 



4. The small area of private holdings being maintained in a pro- 

 ductive state is wholly inadequate. The capital, prerequisite of any 

 successful business operation and in the forest represented by the 

 growing stock, has been almost completely removed from about 40 

 percent of the privately owned forest areas arid seriously reduced in 

 amount on fully half of the remainder. The cordwood and saw- 

 timber commercial holdings, on which an effort is being made to grow 

 timber commercially, compose less than one fifth of the total, and 

 organized sustained yield management is being attempted on less than 

 1 percent or 2.3 million acres of commercial forest holdings. (See 

 section entitled "Status and Opportunities of Private Forestry.") 

 Building up the growing stock to maintain adequate growth for na- 

 tional needs will also call for leadership under public ownership on 

 a large scale. 



5. A vast area of forest land at present is inadequately protected 

 from fire. Although fire control on forest lands has made progress 

 from year to year, only 54 percent of the total forest area of the 

 United States needing protection is now under organized fire control, 

 in spite of the fact that public aid is given many private owners to 

 the extent that 26.5 percent of the cost is paid by the Federal Gov- 

 ernment, 55.1 percent by the States, and 18.4 percent by the private 

 owners. There still remain 191 million acres of forest land in private 

 ownership on which no organized fire control is in effect. (See section 

 entitled "Federal Financial and Other Direct Aid to States.") 

 Public action is needed to assure effective protection. In many 

 instances public interests will be best served by accomplishing this 

 through public ownership. 



6. Of the 615 million acres of forest land in the United States, some 

 449 million acres have major or moderate influence on watershed 

 conditions. The public welfare requires a type of management on 

 these lands which will maintain a satisfactory forest and vegetative 

 cover. The measures necessary to make these lands fulfill their func- 

 tion in the regulation of stream flow and in the prevention of erosion 

 are (1) adequate fire control (2) conservative management of the 

 resources (3) special measures for erosion control (4) effective public 

 education, and (5) research. 



The type of management required, in many instances, will cost 

 money which the private owner cannot afford to spend since he may 

 reap no direct benefit. In order to meet this situation public acquisi- 

 tion of an estimated 133.4 million acres now forested and of 21.8 

 million acres now classified as agricultural but submarginal for such 



