1548 A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 



people of the privileges of the hunt, and the social benefits to be de- 

 rived therefrom. It involves the question of maintaining public 

 shooting grounds or public wild-life areas for those who can not afford 

 private shooting or private estates. It involves the maintenance and 

 use of the wild-life resource for all hunting purposes and for all people. 

 It contemplates the preservation of an American ideal. 



(4) The preceding objectives presuppose a fourth the education 

 of the general public in the recognition of wild-life values and the 

 importance of their proper management. Interest in wild life has 

 heretofore centered largely among sportsmen and wild-life enthusi- 

 asts and their organizations, and around social values. There should 

 be a more wide-spread public recognition of all the values of wild life 

 as a forest or other land resource. 



REQUIREMENTS TO MEET THE OBJECTIVES 



The second step in the formulation of a wild life program for forest 

 lands is the determination of the requirements necessary to meet the 

 objectives named. 



WILD-LIFE MANAGEMENT 



Wild-life management, particularly of game species and fur bearers, 

 is the first essential in the development of wild-life as a forest-land 

 resource. Only through sound and comprehensive management can 

 the maximum social and economic benefits from wild-life accrue. 

 Serious diminution and depletion of wild-life values have resulted 

 from lack of widespread and proper management of the resource. 



The reduced game and fur supplies in many parts of the country, 

 the depletion of quail nearly throughout its range, of prairie chicken 

 in the plains country, and deer and grouse in many States and locali- 

 ties is due primarily to lack of wild-life management. 



Management of wild life in broad terms includes its restoration, 

 protection, propagation, care, and regulation of use. The chief distinct 

 problems that wild-life management must meet are : 



(1) Restoration and development of game, fur bearers, and other 

 wild life in the Central, Lake, South, and parts of other regions of the 

 East. 



(2) Restoration of wild life on areas where depletion has occurred 

 in the West and development of the resource on all forest lands of 

 the West. 



(3) Preservation of species now threatened with extinction for 

 scientific and other reasons. 



(4) Widespread distribution of game and other wild life and, in so 

 far as environmental conditions will permit, distribution of species to 

 afford hunting and to meet the demands of those classes of people 

 who enjoy other aspects of wild life. 



(5) Proper biological balance between species. 



(6) A sustained yield of the wild-life crop, particularly game and 

 fur bearers. 



UNIFICATION OF WILD-LIFE AND FOREST-LAND MANAGEMENT 



Unification of wild-life and forest-land management is the second 

 essential requirement of a wild-life program. Wild-life management 

 is only one phase of broad forest-land management and accordingly 



