A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 1515 



TABLE 2. Watershed-protective influence of privately owned forests 



TOWN, MUNICIPAL, AND COUNTY 



Town and municipal forests, which total 473,765 acres in the 

 United States, are in general very well cared for. Usually they have 

 been established for watershed protection. They are policed and 

 protected, and cutting and grazing are either banned or so regulated 

 as to permit maintenance of favorable cover conditions. Denuded 

 lands are usually planted as acquired. 



While no attempt has been made to determines what acreage should 

 ultimately be in municipal forests, it may be said that the area 

 should be greatly increased. This is especially true of city watershed 

 lands. The responsibility is localized and very direct. Often the 

 acquisition and maintenance of a watershed area is no less definitely 

 the responsibility of a city than the building of the conduit through 

 which the water reaches the city mains. 



In many sections of the United States large acreages of forest lands 

 are reverting to the local governments for nonpayment of taxes. In 

 most States these lands revert to the county; in a few they revert to 

 the town or the State. For the sake of brevity they are all here con- 

 sidered as county land. Such lands are in both large and small 

 blocks, and in most instances have been cut over, burned, or devas- 

 tated. Where actually organized for administration these lands are 

 satisfactorily handled. The greater part are not so organized and 

 are given little attention other than fire protection. Particularly in 

 agricultural districts, the land that has reverted or is reverting to 

 the public is largely land that has been used for agriculture but that 

 through one cause or another is no longer profitable for such use. 

 In many cases, as has already been stated, erosion has been a primary 

 cause of reversion. 



These tax title lands, both forested and agricultural, often spoken 

 of as the "new public domain", are returning to public ownership in 

 a very poor watershed condition and frequently must be given special 

 attention if they are to perform any worthwhile service. Most of 

 them should not be returned to private ownership. They should be 



