INTRODUCTION xlix 



possible. Up to June 30, 1917, over 1,500,000 

 acres have been approved for purchase by the Na- 

 tional Forest Reservation Commission. The For- 

 est Service has been designated as the bureau to 

 examine and value such lands as may be offered 

 for purchase. The original appropriation was 

 $2,000,000 per year for five and one-half years, be- 

 ginning the last half of the fiscal year 1911. The 

 Agricultural Appropriation Bill for the fiscal year 

 1913 made the appropriation for 1912 and subse- 

 quent years available until expended. A further 

 appropriation of $3,000,000 was provided later for 

 the same purpose, to be expended during the fiscal 

 years 1917 and 1918. Under Section 2 of the same 

 law cooperative fire protection with the States was 

 provided for. This section of the law provided that 

 the Forest Service should maintain a cooperative 

 system of forest fire protection with those States 

 which have a law providing for a system of fire 

 protection for state and private forest lands upon 

 the watersheds of navigable streams. In no case 

 was the amount to be expended by the Forest 

 Service to exceed the amount appropriated by the 

 State for the same purpose in any given fiscal 5?ear. 

 The original appropriation was $200,000 and sub- 



