A NATIONAL PLAN FOE AMERICAN FORESTRY 1249 



the eastern United States contemplates an eastern national-forest 

 ownership of somewhat more than 14^ million acres. 



Purchases are made within units established for that purpose only 

 after approval by the National Forest Reservation Commission as is 

 described in detail in the section entitled "Public Acquisition of 

 Private Lands as an Aid to Private Forestry." As lands are acquired, 

 they are incorporated in the national-forest system, placed under 

 protection, and rehabilitation begins. 



The methods and procedure used in Federal- purchase work con- 

 stitute, in effect, a system of land classification, since the selection of 

 a unit is made only after the survey of a much larger area and con- 

 sideration of the needs and desirability of a national forest in the 

 forest region concerned. A unit is established only after it has been 

 determined by these methods that a large part of it is true forest 

 land which will serve the purpose of watershed protection, timber 

 production, or forestry demonstration. Agricultural lands within 

 established units are segregated and not acquired. 



Through the years, Federal officers have gained considerable 

 experience in purchasing forest lands. Methods have been thoroughly 

 developed and standardized so that increased purchase activity 

 could be expeditiously handled by the experienced organization 

 which already exists. In the past, lands have been purchased at 

 reasonable prices, and under present market conditions large blocks 

 of additional lands could be obtained upon decidedly favorable 

 terms. Much of the 134 million acres programmed for national 

 forest ownership could therefore be purchased and developed by the 

 Federal Government without awaiting general land classification, 

 provided funds became available. A greatly increased acquisition 

 program by the Federal Government would be one of the most 

 constructive adjustments which could be undertaken. 



Two other Federal agencies are acquiring forest lands in the 

 East. The Biological Survey has inaugurated a purchase program 

 which contemplates acquisition of about 500,000 acres for game 

 sanctuaries and wild-fowl breeding grounds. So far it has acquired 

 254,000 acres, of which perhaps 60,000 acres are water. The Na- 

 tional Park Service is obtaining 587,000 acres for two national parks 

 in the Appalachians by gifts from the States of North Carolina, 

 Tennessee, and Virginia which are purchasing the lands and con- 

 veying them to the United States. Because of the comparatively 

 small size of these acquisitions they will have little effect upon the 

 general problem of forest land use in the East. 



STATE ACQUISITION BY PURCHASE 



State, county, and municipal ownership of present commercial 

 forest areas consists of 10,632,000 acres, most of it obtained through 

 Federal ^ grants but some through purchase or tax delinquency. 

 Except in New York and Pennsylvania, however, little progress has 

 been made in State acquisition of forest lands through purchase. 

 Most of the States in forest regions have been unable to finance 

 large purchase programs up to the present time. The urgency of 

 the situation, however, as well as the necessity for the various States 

 to carry their full share of the responsibility for future forest con- 

 ditions dictate the advisability of State and local public acquisition 



