A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 1305 



The present costs given for national forests represent the costs of 

 current forest practice sufficient to keep these lands productive and 

 prepared for increasingly intensive management; the proposed costs 

 approximate a higher standard of forestry practice than this, such as 

 would produce something like a full timber crop. 



NATIONAL-FOREST COSTS 



The Federal Government in its management of the national forests 

 recognizes the obligation of stewardship for these forest areas. Con- 

 gress specifically establishes this responsibility in the act of 1897 which 

 states : 



To improve and protect the forest for the purpose of maintaining favorable 

 conditions of water flows and to furnish a continuous supply of timber for the 

 use and necessities of citizens of the United States. 



Secretary Wilson announced the same principle in his policy letter 

 to the Chief Forester of February 1, 1905, which states: 



In the administration of the forest reserves [called national forests since 1907], 

 all land is to be devoted to its most productive use for the permanent good of the 

 whole people. You will see to it that water, wood, and forage of the reserves are 

 conserved and wisely used. * * * 



In the following discussion the costs for managing and developing 

 the national forests are considered on the broad principles laid down by 

 Congress and Secretary Wilson for Federal responsibility in its assump- 

 tion of responsible stewardship of these lands. 



National ownership and management of forest lands must generally 

 provide for multiple use wherein all the renewable resources are 

 developed, improved, and utilized simultaneously. This form of 

 management requires expenditures for all the major factors of cost 

 enumerated above. Private ownership, on the other hand, more 

 often has only a single purpose in the management of a forest property 

 and needs to provide funds for the development and utilization of 

 only one resource. 



The national forests embrace about 161 million acres of land in 31 

 of the States and the Territory of Alaska. For the purposes of the 

 present discussion the small area in Puerto Rico is omitted. These 

 forests contain a variety of forest and related resources in different 

 stages of development and of marketable value. They require treat- 

 ment different in both character and intensity. The proper develop- 

 ment of these resources significantly affects broad national interests, 

 although tied in with local and regional needs. Because of these 

 broad national aspects, all the national forests together may properly 

 be considered as a single enterprise for the purpose of calculating both 

 the costs and benefits of management, although a great spread in 

 .cost may exist between different units. 



The simplest way in analyzing the items of cost and in making 

 broad comparisons between present and proposed expenditures is to 

 reduce all costs to a unit basis, the acre. This method has therefore 

 been followed. In table 1 are shown, by major activities, the present 

 .and probable future per-acre costs for managing and developing the 

 161 million acres of national forests. 



