THE RELATION OF tORESTS AND FORESTRY TO 

 HUMAN WELFARE 



" Forests are more than trees. They are rather land areas on which are 

 associated various forms of plant and animal life. The forester must deal 

 with all. Wild life is as essentially and legitimatelj- a part of his care as are 

 water, wood and forage. Forest administration should be planned with a 

 %-iew to realizing all possible benefits from the land areas handled. It should 

 take account of their indirect value for recreation and health as well as their 

 value for the production of salable material ; and of their value for the 

 production of meat, hides and furs of all kinds as well as for the production 

 of wood and the protection of water supplies. 



" Unquestionably the working out of a program of wild life protection which 

 will give due weight to all the interests affected is a delicate task. It is 

 impossible to harmonize the differences between the economic, the aesthetic, the 

 sporting and the commercial viewpoints. Nevertheless, the practical difficulties 

 are not so great as thej^ appear on the surface." 



Henry S. Graves,, 



Former Chief Forester, L"'. S. Forest Service. 



Recreation. \'ol. 52, p. 236; 191 5. 



" Outdoor recreation is a necessity of civilized life, and as civilization 

 becomes more intensive the demand grows keener. The vast extent of our 

 present National Forests, their enticing wildness, and the notable beauty 

 of the native landscape lure men and women thither by hundreds of thousands. 

 The really enormous extent and value of this kind of forest product has been 

 generally overlooked in America. This oversight, however, is onlj- local 

 and temporary-. In older countries, where public forests have existed for cen- 

 turies, the recreation use of such areas has always been recognized. It would 

 be perfecth- easy to show that recreation was, in fact, the original and primary 

 purpose in the creation of public forests. 



" The moment that recreation (using this word in a very liberal meaning) 

 is recognized as a legitimate Forest utilitA- the way is opened for a more 

 intelligent administration of the National Forests. Recreation then takes its 

 proper place along with all other utilities. In each particular case these 

 utilities are weighed against one another and a plan of administration devised 

 to adjust and harmonize, to the utmost point practicable, the various forms 

 of use so that the largest net total of public good maj- be secured. Where 

 one must be subordinated to another, preference is given to that of highest 

 value to the public." 



Fr-\xk a. Waugh, 



Collaborator. L'. S. Forest Servace. 



Recreation Uses on the National 



Forests, pp. 3-4, 5; 1918. 



[6] 



