A NATIONAL PLAN FOE AMERICAN FORESTRY 1615 



fire-control agencies during the periods of serious fire hazard. The 

 present (1933) allotment is $37,690 for this purpose. It is estimated 

 that this amount should be increased to about $45,000 by 1935. 



FOREST SERVICE (DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE) 

 COOPERATIVE FINANCIAL AID TO STATES AND PRIVATE OWNERS 



The Federal Government through the agency of the Forest Service 

 furnishes cooperative financial aid to States and private owners for 

 specified purposes, which at the present time are limited to (1) fire 

 protection, (2) distribution of planting stock, and (3) forest extension. 

 Such Federal forestry aid makes up less than one percent of all 

 Federal aid funds. 



FIRE PROTECTION 



Funds for fire protection make up the bulk of Federal aid. Some 

 degree of organized protection from fire is now obtained on only 54 

 percent of the total State and privately owned forest area in the 

 United States. The cost of this cooperative fire protection was 

 $5,943,000 in 1932, of which the Federal Government put up 

 $1,573,000 (27 percent), the States $3,276,000 (55 percent), and 

 private funds amounted to $1,094,000 (18 percent). 



The present Federal authorization as carried in the Clarke-McNary 

 Act amounts to $2,500,000 on the basis of a former estimate that 

 $10,000,000 would be the total amount necessary to protect State and 

 private forest land. Estimates indicate that the cost of adequate 

 fire protection may ultimately amount to approximately $20,000,000. 

 On the 75-25 percent basis fpr meeting control expenditures as ex- 

 plained in the section entitled, " Federal Financial and Other Direct 

 Aid to the States," the present limitation on Federal authorizations 

 contained in the Clarke-McNary law should be increased to $5,000,- 

 000. Appropriations should be immediately increased to 50 percent 

 of the total current expenditures, provided that no State should in 

 any year receive more than 25 percent of its total needs. On this 

 basis $2,680,500 could be spent immediately to good advantage on 

 this project. This represents a substantial increase over the 1933 

 appropriation, which was $1,611,580. During the following 10 years 

 Federal aid in forest-fire protection should be increased each year 

 until it reaches $3,703,500 in 1944; thereafter additional funds will 

 be needed as additional areas are placed under protection and for 

 adequate protection on all areas needing protection. 



FOREST PLANTING 



It is estimated that approximately 25 million acres in the United 

 States, of which 5,755,000 acres are listed as private timber lands, 

 should be planted to forest trees during the next 20 years. It is 

 desirable to continue the present method of Federal cooperation 

 whereby the Government contributes to the costs of establishing and 

 operating State forest nurseries. 



Legislation is needed to increase the expenditures authorized by 

 section 4 of the Clarke-McNary Act from $100,000 to $350,000 and 

 to broaden the scope of the act so that its provisions will benefit 

 all landowners. Expenditures should increase progressively from 

 $150,000 in 1935 to approximately $350,000. 



