the National Forests 33 



But any general movement in this direction faces serious perils. 

 At the present moment there are being pushed a dozen or more 

 ill-considered schemes to establish "National Parks," which 

 parks would be obviously in no sense national except that Uncle 

 Sam might foot the bills. The plain intent of some of these 

 proposals is to appropriate the advertising value of the National 

 Park name for the benefit of some city or local community. 

 Against all such schemes it is necessary in the public interest to 

 make the strongest stand. Were such a policy to be followed the 

 result would be a serious menace both to the National Forests 

 and to the National Parks. The Forests would suffer through 

 the alienation of important areas and the disturbance of Forest 

 administration. The Parks would suffer through the degra- 

 dation of their present high reputation. 



To anyone who examines the facts at any length in their prac- 

 tical bearings it soon becomes evident that special areas can not 

 be arbitrarily transferred from the National Forests just because 

 they happen to be used for recreation. Even areas on which 

 recreation comes to be the exclusive use can not always, or even 

 generally, be segregated in this manner. As a striking example 

 of this principle the White Mountain Forest of New Hampshire 

 may be cited. The White Mountain territory is peculiarly 

 suited to recreation of many kinds. It is largely and intensively 

 used for these purposes. It would be very easy for the theorist 

 to say that this section is worth much more for its beauty than for 

 its timber and that therefore it must be a Park instead of a Forest ; 

 yet the history of the region and of the legislation establishing the 

 present National Forest are such as positively to require the 

 continuance of the Forest administration. 



Under such circumstances it is idle and mischievous to talk 

 about the suppression of recreation activities on the National 

 Forests, or of divesting the Forest Service of the administration 

 of recreation uses, or of any other policy than a clear-cut, straight- 



