Yearbook^ of Agriculture 1949 



sonnel trained in forestry work. Fire 

 protection is accomplished by the Fish 

 and Wildlife Service. 



Between 1942 and 1947, the yearly 

 cut from these forest lands averaged 

 3.2 million board feet of timber, 19,610 

 cords of wood, and 17,968 posts and 

 ties. Average annual receipt for these 

 products was $46,022. Of necessity, 

 timber cutting must be on a moderate 

 scale until the stands of timber are 

 built up to the highest level consistent 

 with wildlife production on the lands. 



MILITARY RESERVATIONS of the 

 Army, Navy, and Air Force comprise 

 large areas of Federal land held pri- 

 marily for military purposes. Much of 

 the land is not forested, but a substan- 

 tial acreage either bears forests or is 

 capable of producing them. 



The Department of the Army ad- 

 ministers some 4 million acres, of 

 which about 1,650,000 acres may be 

 classed as forest land. These forest 

 lands, of course, are widely distributed 

 across the country and, in some in- 

 stances, are only a minor proportion 

 of the installations of which they are 

 a part. Many Army installations, how- 

 ever, contain substantial blocks of pro- 

 ductive or potentially productive forest 

 sites. Included are southern pines, cen- 

 tral and northern hardwoods, and the 

 Douglas-fir type of the Pacific North- 

 west. The southern pine types heavily 

 predominate. 



While the primary use of these lands 

 is necessarily military, it is the policy 

 of the Department of the Army to con- 

 serve and maintain all of its lands, in- 

 cluding the forests, in accordance with 

 sound agricultural principles. In pur- 

 suance of this policy, the Army intends 

 to develop appropriate management 

 plans for each potentially productive 

 forest area, and to promote timber 

 management and timber-stand im- 

 provement as far as the dominant mili- 

 tary use of the lands will permit. 



Naval reservations, in the main, are 

 not forested. However, some areas ac- 

 quired for ordnance or training and 

 maneuver purposes include consider- 



able acreages of productive forest lands 

 which are susceptible of forestry man- 

 agement. Efforts are being made to 

 inaugurate forest management on cer- 

 tain of these areas, to the degree that 

 such can be correlated with the neces- 

 sary military use, with the cooperation 

 of public forestry agencies. 



The Department of the Air Force 

 administers about 11.4 million acres of 

 Federal land, a large part of which is 

 used by the Air Force under permit or 

 assignment from other agencies of the 

 Government. The Air Force estimates 

 that of this acreage approximately 

 495,000 acres is now forested or is ca- 

 pable of producing forests. Such area is 

 distributed within nine States, but the 

 major part is located in Florida. Forest 

 resources are being managed, as far as 

 is consistent with the necessary military 

 use, in accordance with plans prepared 

 by Federal or State forestry agencies, it 

 being the intent of the Air Force to use 

 and develop these resources under 

 conservation principles to the extent 

 possible. 



LAND UTILIZATION PROJECTS were 

 established pursuant to the National 

 Industrial Recovery Act, the Emer- 

 gency Relief Act, and, later, title III 

 of the Bankhead-Jones Farm Tenant 

 Act. Under such a program the Fed- 

 eral Government acquired about 11.3 

 million acres of farm, pasture, and 

 woodland which had been abused, 

 eroded, or otherwise so depleted as to 

 be uneconomic for private use and in 

 need of protection and restoration. 

 Many of the projects have since been 

 turned over to States for administra- 

 tion for forestry, wildlife, recreational, 

 and research purposes under long- 

 term agreements. Others have been 

 transferred to Federal agencies for such 

 special purposes as national forests, 

 wildlife refuges, and Indian reserva- 

 tions. 



Some 7,150,000 acres, however, are 

 for the most part needed and used by 

 farmers who occupy adjoining and 

 intermingled privately owned land to 

 complete desirable land use and eco- 



