lha total forested circa of the United '^tateo le row 

 about 550 million acres, or approximate!? one fourth of the 

 total ara of continental United ^tatce, ">4^ p^r oor.t of r/Mch 

 in in National I-'orneto, counting extensive areas of barron 

 country above tinber line. 



Cor.traste:'. with Gcnnar.y, we fln-.l that 52. C per cent 

 of her forest area is in public or stato control, and ?3 rcr 

 cent of +Ln or.tiro forested aroa of European Russia is 

 har.dld'l by tho Government. float of tho Huropean countries 

 h'Ave far out-stripped the Unitrt States in forcntrv. 



Aim of National : Qrooto. 



V/hilo the advicability of establishing ?'ational 

 ->sts has beor. quostioncd by some, tho Govomnont has had 

 l-ut one aiu in sotting these aroao aside,- tho best permanent 

 use of t.hn lar.ci by the yoopl^ and the provontion of waste ,.r 

 a:ay of its rouourcoo. 



Theso usos, as you all know, are multiplied and 

 varied, and include luiaboring, raining, grazing, wntor power, 

 and r^iny others. Difforont states, or particular localities 

 in any on< ^tate, way depend upon an;* or all of thoso differ- 

 ent, industries, but in any case tho resource of any sub- 

 ivision of the country, either by regions, states, or by 

 portions of a stato, ahouM be considered ao contributing to 

 ana sharing In the general good. 



In cany portions of tho ^/ent, practically every im- 

 -.p.r.t industry dnpends, for its -resent oxistenoe and per- 

 petuity, upon the Forests cf the r,ountairje, and fcrojto can 

 STV.. .11 thoso interests bost only r 'hon placed ur^.^r a 

 management which will incxiro harmonious dovolopnent and tho 



efiatn e;ood of all. T^ib, in sub-.tanco, io tho aim of 

 National Porostu, and tho foundation upon '"hich the wholo 

 theory aixi practico of the adnini-.trc.tion is based. 



Foroot Protection. 



The arch enemy of tho forest is fire. Fire is the 

 atost inle rlorent vorkinf ap.ainot t'^e realisation of the 

 principle cf rnaxiajun use and v?astc prevention. Conprvative 



-imates, prior to 1COS, showed that ten trillion ocres of 

 timber land wro destroyed annually in this country Vy flrea 

 alone; aiid leaving out of tho consideration the lose in hiunan 

 s and froporty, and the wat.*r and tlmTrer re6currte of the 

 Futvre, th-^ loy/^ar, oati *ato in tirabcr valuta py.c"dcn, 01, an 

 average, f50,CCO,OOC each yoar since 1S70. 



t?. 



