1286 



A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



saw-timber areas, as well as areas on which timber below merchantable 

 size is now growing and areas which must be restocked. A balanced 

 public program necessitates prolonging to the utmost the supplies 

 now available, besides growing future supplies. Both projects are 

 covered in this program. 



PUBLIC OWNERSHIP AND WATERSHED PROTECTION 

 EXTENT AND DISTRIBUTION OF WATERSHED AREAS 



The protective value of forests to watersheds is summarized for the 

 major regions in table 12. Of the total of 244 million acres of com- 

 mercial and noncommercial forest land east of the Great Plains exert- 

 ing a major or moderate influence on watersheds something over two 

 thirds or 171 million acres has a major watershed value and nearly 

 10 million acres is in public ownership. West of the Plains 137 

 million out of 205 million acres possess major watershed value, and 

 nearly 120 million acres are publicly owned. 



PRESENT OWNERSHIP 



The forest land with major or moderate watershed value under 

 public ownership is 69.4 percent of all such land in the West and but 

 4.5 percent east of the Plains. The total of 296.8 million acres of 

 priVately owned forest land possessing watershed value are a potential 

 field for eventual public acquisition, to the extent that private owner- 

 ship does not now promise to protect the watershed values, or as future 

 needs develop. This statement does not, of course, mean that any 

 such plan is recommended as a program. It means simply that 

 where private ownership fails to conserve public values, the public 

 may have to acquire the lands to protect itself. Thus, obviously, the 

 estimation of the immediate or eventual area which the public should 

 acquire can only be based on an appraisal of the existing condition of 

 watershed lands, existing methods of treatment by private owners, 

 and probable trends in use and treatment. 



TABLE 12. Present ownership of commercial and noncommercial forest land having 

 major and moderate watershed protection value 



[Values given in millions of acres] 



1 Exclusive of 0.9 that is not segregated from other public lands in the eastern regions. 



