A PROGRAM FOR FOREST RECREATION 



By ROBERT MARSHALL, Collaborator 



CONTENTS 



Page 



Recreational survey 1543 



Program for specific types of recreational area 1 544 



Legislation required 1546 



Area needed primarily for recreation 1546 



RECREATIONAL SURVEY 



The use of the forest for recreation has received such entirely 

 inadequate study that the first recommendation of a realistic program 

 should be for a careful survey of forest recreational requirements. 

 Such a survey should consider (1) what type of forest recreation the 

 people particularly desire and (2) how much forest land should be 

 set aside exclusively for each of the different types of forest recreation. 



The first study might be made by questionnaire and by a careful 

 check of the use of existing recreational facilities. Some specially 

 planned investigations are needed also, for example, as to whether 

 most forest recreationalists care what sort of timber is available to 

 them. This question might be investigated by laying out three camp 

 sites in some particular locality, all similar in every way except that 

 one would be on an area seriously damaged by logging, one on a well- 

 managed cut-over tract, and one in an old-growth forest. By checking 

 the attendance at the three camp sites it might be possible to obtain 

 a very good notion of the preferences of forest visitors. 



Such subjects might be studied by many agencies. They would 

 be excellently adapted to investigation by the sociology departments 

 of certain universities. The National Park Service, the Forest Service, 

 and several State park services are very favorably situated for such 

 investigations owing to their actual administration of recreational 

 land. The various conservation societies would be logical agencies 

 to pursue such investigations. 



The survey of the area required for recreation should be undertaken 

 by some committee which would represent the chief agencies admin- 

 istering recreational lands and the chief points of view of those who 

 use the forest for recreation. Such a survey is needed immediately, 

 for every year sees many tracts among the most precious types of 

 recreational land eliminated as recreational possibilities. The organ- 

 ization of a forest-recreation committee should not interfere with the 

 surveys which the National Park Service, the Forest Service, and the 

 various State park services are already undertaking. It should 

 simply coordinate the activities of these agencies. Such coordina- 

 tion is essential for the reason that the forest-recreation problem 

 in America is not confined to any one form of land administration. 

 The points of view both of the administrators of American forests and 

 of those for whose benefit the forests are being administered should 

 have representation in working out a satisfactory policy. 



168342 33 vol. 2 32 1543 



