1528 A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



drainage. While these mountains have an area of only 45 million 

 acres, composing less than 6 percent of the Mississippi River drainage, 

 they are estimated to yield more than 25 percent of the flood flows of 

 the lower river. More than 50 percent of the peak flow of May 1, 

 1927, came from this section. 



Agriculture in this region started with the more level stream bottoms 

 and gradually expanded to include more and more hillside land, where 

 rapid run-off and excessive erosion naturally followed. Much of this 

 hillside agricultural land is now definitely submarginal and is being 

 abandoned. Erosion, while not so spectacular as that of the Missis- 

 sippi River bluff lands, is widespread on hill lands used for cultivated 

 crops. On much of the land, fortunately, abandonment is followed 

 rather promptly by the development of a cover of grass or, where seed 

 is available, of forest. 



The forest of mixed pine and hardwoods in the mountains and pure 

 pine in the foothills originally was almost continuous. Repeated 

 fires, local overgrazing, extensive lumbering, and clearing for agricul- 

 ture have reduced the forest area to possibly one half its original size 

 and deteriorated the remainder to a point at which its influence on 

 run-off and on erosion is seriously impaired. Fires are exceedingly 

 prevalent and prevent the maintenance of a good forest and litter 

 cover. It is estimated that approximately one seventh of the major- 

 influence watershed forests are burned over each year. Obviously, 

 under such treatment good watershed conditions cannot exist. 



Bad as conditions may be on the burned mountain forests, they are 

 much more serious on the cultivated portion of the area. The more 

 level cultivated lands can no doubt be maintained by proper cultiva- 

 tion methods, but the hillside fields must ultimately be abandoned. 

 In some situations only a few crops can be raised before the top soil 

 is sluiced off. Certainly this type of agriculture is not in the public 

 interest and should be stopped. 



A small part, about 1,250,000 acres, of these mountain forests is 

 national-forest land. On these lands watershed protection is the 

 primary purpose of management, and while conditions are not yet 

 satisfactory they are improving. The condition of the very limited 

 area of organized State forest is likewise improving. The rest of the 

 land is in private ownership, and it is here that watershed problems 

 are greatest. 



Correction of the existing conditions depends on (1) improved fire 

 protection and (2) proper management of major-influence forest and 

 critical agricultural lands. Foresters and others personally familiar 

 with conditions in these mountains substantially agree that erosion 

 can be diminished and stream flow made more regular by improving 

 the forest and vegetative cover. Public acquisition of major-influence 

 land would aid in accomplishing this end. 



The problem is so largely one of preventing floods and silting in the 

 lower Mississippi River Basin that the responsibility is largely Federal. 

 The States concerned should not be expected to carry any considerable 

 part of the acquisition program. They should, however, take the 

 lead in improving forest-fire conditions on private lands. 



BREAKS AND BAD LANDS 



The Breaks and Badlands include more than 20 million acres on 

 the Arkansas, Red, and Brazos Rivers to the south and on the 



