1518 A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



Fire protection is given all national-forest lands, although in some 

 regions it has not reached a satisfactory standard. The action neces- 

 sary to meet the minimum standards is discussed in detail in the 

 section of this report entitled " Protection Against Fire." In the 

 5-year period 1926-30, for the entire national-forest system the area 

 actually burned over was only 7 percent more than the allowable 

 burn ; in the Middle Atlantic States and Pacific Coast States, however, 

 the acreage burned was 3.8 times and 2.8 times, respectively, as great 

 as the allowable acreage, and on about 30 million acres of critical 

 areas in the South, Pacific Coast, and Northern Rocky Mountain 

 Regions the area burned, was about five times as large as that which 

 could be accepted as satisfactory. 



Timber cutting on the national forests is usually handled on the 

 selection system, which is most satisfactory from a watershed stand- 

 point. In certain types, particularly the Pacific Coast Douglas fir 

 and mature western white pine, the present cutting practice is not 

 entirely satisfactory from a watershed-protection standpoint, but the 

 condition of the virgin stand being cut seems to demand that the 

 present practices be continued. Fortunately in both instances, owing 

 to the humid climate, as discussed in the watershed description section, 

 rather complete re vegetation follows cutting very quickly. 



Denuded lands are being planted as rapidly as funds will permit. 

 Planting operations to date have covered more than 300,000 acres, 

 and the program now outlined calls for the planting of 2,100,000 acres 

 in the next 20 years. This work is progressing slowly and should be 

 greatly speeded up. 



National-forest range lands as a whole are safeguarded from im- 

 proper use, although in some places grazing practices do not adequate- 

 ly safeguard watershed values or permit the vegetation rapidly to 

 reclaim lands injured before the forests were established. 



On the whole, national-forest administration takes into account the 

 needs of watershed protection and in a very practical way applies 

 the available information as to protection of watershed values. 

 Administration is constantly improving, and it is reasonable to expect 

 that the national forests will continue to exert an increasing bene- 

 ficial influence upon soil and water conditions. As is shown in the 

 section of this report entitled " Research in the United States Forest 

 Service", much research is needed to determine definitely the best 

 methods of handling watershed lands. The national forests, in- 

 cluding most of the conditions to be studied, provide an excellent 

 field for this work. 



That the acreage of national-forest land must be greatly increased 

 if watershed values are to be preserved is clear. The benefits from 

 watershed protection are largely public, and it cannot be expected that 

 private ownership will bear the burden of proper management unless 

 it pays immediately. In most cases, local governments cannot be 

 expected to finance projects of interstate or national significance. 

 The most desirable division of ownership among agencies is discussed 

 in detail in the section entitled "The Probable Future Distribution of 

 Forest Land Ownership." 



INDIAN LANDS 



Lands in Indian reservations are not, on the whole, given the best 

 possible management from a watershed standpoint. The objectives 



