RECREATION IN THE FORESTS 



BY ARTHUR H. CARIIART 



RECREATION ENGINEER, U. S. FOREST SERVICE 



RECREATION is necessary to human life. An indi- 

 vidual cannot concentrate on one thing continuously 

 and do the best work. Continued work in one field 

 without change produces mental stagnation. In order to 

 take place in the strenuous contest of life the individual 

 must of necessity "recreate" himself through recreation. 

 Recreation may be had in many fields. A movie will 

 serve as recreation for some individuals and may, in fact, 

 represent the bulk of such play which they can secure. 

 Dancing is a recreation 

 which can do much good. 

 And there are many other 

 forms of recreation .sold 

 daily for coin of the land 

 because people must have 

 change of interest. But the 

 best field in which to seek 

 recreation is in the great 

 free fields of God's world. 

 The plains, streams, hills, 

 mountains, lakes, forests and 

 valleys offer a form of recre- 

 ation that surpasses any to 

 be found where play is cor- 

 ralled within narrow walls 

 and sold at so much per unit. 

 Recreation in the open is 

 of the finpst grade. The 

 moral benefits are all posi- 

 tive. The individual with 

 any soul cannot live long 

 in the presence of towering 

 mountains or sweeping 

 plains without getting a lit- 

 tle of the high moral stand- 

 ard of Nature infused into 

 his being. In the open the 

 physical being cannot but 

 benefit. In the dusty dance 

 hall, or in the crowded thea- 

 tre there may be lurking the 

 germs of a virulent disease, 

 but in the fresh air of the 

 outdoors there are naught but rosy cheeks, keen appetites 

 and a vigor that takes its place along with the sturdiness 

 of strong old oaks. The mind snaps into a livelier gait 

 of thinking, the new scenes bring new thoughts and one 

 must think of the many new things that call for attention. 

 With eyes opened, the great story of the Earth's forming 

 the history of a tree, the life of a flower or the activities 

 of some small animal will all unfold themselves to the 

 recreationist. Mental processes thus impulsed are a 

 thousand times more constructive than can be found in 



288 



SWEETWATER LAKE ON THE WHITE RIVER NATIONAL FOREST 



Few mountain lakes offer a great amount of good boating, but this scenic 

 sheet of water is very popular for boating. Back of the cliff shown is a 

 waterfall, a small gorge and a cave that has never been thoroughly 

 explored. A vacation on the shores of this lake would offer delightful 

 recreational opportunities. 



many marts of recreation that live in the cities. Recrea- 

 tion is necessary and when taken outdoors the moral, 

 physical and mental benefits derived are many times 

 greater in value than can be found in the artificial man- 

 made recreation. 



Years ago there could easily be found open country 

 where one could play, picnic, tramp or camp at almost 

 any turn of the road. A few years ago by going a small 

 distance camping places, where nature was still supreme, 



could be found. But today, 

 with man land-hungry, these 

 places are fast disappearing, 

 Economic use of land for the 

 production of crops changes 

 the fact of the landscape and 

 there remains little of the 

 free natural country for 

 which the vacationist longs. 

 This movement of subduing 

 nature could continue to a 

 point where there would not 

 be left any lands where one 

 might see nature supreme. 

 Where then can nature find 

 sanctuary and where can 

 man needing the rest that 

 is to be found only in the 

 open fields expect in the fu- 

 ture to recreate out of 

 doors? 



The answer lies in the 

 movement that is making 

 itself manifest throughout 

 the nation today in the crea- 

 tion of large rural park sys- 

 tems. In county parks, in 

 state parks, in the National 

 Parks of the country will be 

 found the refuge of the nat- 

 ural landscape and the place 

 in which the city - tired 

 human may be healed men- 

 tally, physical and spirit- 

 ually. But, besides these, the greatest reservoir of recre- 

 ative lands that exist today in the United States will be 

 found and will always be found in the National Forests. 

 Primarily, forests are considered great areas to pro- 

 duce timber. There are other utilities that can be realized 

 on coincident with the growth of timber and may in 

 reality either depend on a good forest cover or will aid 

 in the production of timber. In the past the grazing 

 lands in the National Forests have produced quantities 

 of market beef. Today there are more cattle grazing on 



