A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 1269 



The trend of forest-land abandonment by private owners in all 

 regions may similarly be rated on a relative scale and classified by 

 regions, as follows: 



Class 1. Little abandonment: New England, Southern Rockies, 

 Middle Atlantic. 



Class 2. Some abandonment: Central, South. 



Class 3. Considerable abandonment: Lake, Pacific, North Rockies. 



Roughly, the highest rates of land abandonment coincide with the 

 lack or local limitation of favorable opportunity for private forestry, 

 and the lowest rates with most favorable opportunity. The small 

 amount of abandonment in the South is due in part to the State laws 

 dealing with tax delinquency and to more or less lax administration 

 of them. The southern Rockies although classed as least favorable 

 to private ownership, shows little land abandonment. This is due 

 to the fact that in this region lands can be leased for grazing. 



In all probability most, if not at all, owners who have abandoned 

 land have simply considered the likelihood of any profit in holding 

 their property in a very general way. It is unlikely that many have 

 made a detailed factual analysis of their chances. But the mass 

 effectiveness of the numerous adverse forces, focusing finally in some 

 regions into a predominant push toward land relinquishment, can 

 hardly be doubted. The rates at which forest lands are abandoned 

 through tax delinquency express a gradual decision by scores of 

 individual owners to give up a struggle which more and more appears 

 to be a losing one, and which has been accentuated to some degree 

 by the depression. It is to be suspected, however, that a detailed 

 analysis would indicate basic reasons for the regional distribution of 

 forest land abandonment. 



It can only be concluded that a trend in the direction of land 

 relinquishment by private owners of forest land, which is based on 

 so large a number of inherent factors, may acquire even further 

 momentum. 



EFFECT OF PRESENT PUBLIC SUBSIDIES 



Public aid in varying degrees has been given to forest owners in 

 protection against fire, insects, disease, and in deferred or lowered 

 taxes on immature, growing forests. These forms of aid and what 

 they have accomplished are discussed in other sections of the report. 

 Both kinds and amounts of public aid have varied widely from State 

 to State, and they are considered here merely as they have influenced 

 retention of forest lands in private ownership. For example, public 

 aid in fire control has been given in many States, yet this has not in 

 itself, so far, materially influenced retention of private ownership of 

 forest lands. In table 4 present expenditures for fire control and the 

 amount contributed through public aid are shown. 



A comparison of different regions indicates, for example, that in 

 both the New England and the Lake States regions almost the entire 

 cost, and in nearly equal amounts, is now assumed by the public. 

 But in the former, there is very little land abandonment; in the 

 latter a great deal. 



The conclusion is warranted that public aid in fire control is not a 

 substantial factor in keeping lands in private ownership, even where 

 the total cost is paid by the public. It is, however, a good public 



