1536 A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



ments should proceed with the acquisition of such lands as rapidly 

 as such programs can be financed. Table 9 presents, by major drain- 

 age regions, the program that on the basis of present information 

 appears advisable. 



BRINGING UNMANAGED PUBLIC LAND UNDER SUITABLE 



MANAGEMENT 



On public watershed land now unmanaged the public should 

 redeem the obligations of ownership by instituting management of 

 the type recommended in the foregoing. The public domain is the 

 outstanding example of unmanaged Federal lands. The first step 

 in the direction of bringing public-domain watersheds under manage- 

 ment would be approval of legislation authorizing the public adminis- 

 tration of these lands substantially as recommended in the section of 

 this report entitled, "Public Domain and Other Federal Forest 

 Land." 



State and county land now unmanaged should be placed under 

 management as rapidly as possible, although this action will not 

 always be easy. Large aggregate areas are coming into State and 

 county ownership as small tracts of devastated forest or submarginal 

 agricultural land. Comprehensive planning is needed to work out 

 the most feasible division of responsibility and methods of administra- 

 tion. To block the areas up into administrative units would require 

 the purchase of additional lands and exchange of ownership among 

 various public agencies including the Federal Government. 



