72 THE PROBLEM. 



Algiers, India and Australia, are self-sustaining, and for the most part 

 bring in considerable revenues. Curiously enough, it is in the coun- 

 tries like Spain, Arabia, Persia and Turkey, in ■which forestry is 

 neglected, where national productive power has most diminished, and 

 ui which both nation and people individually are poorest. 



The success of other countries in maintaining national forest sys- 

 tems invites our attention to this subject. 



The principal revenue from all forestry systems is from the sale 

 of forest products. These are mainly merchantable timber and fuel. 

 The Western d.strlcts, in which the principal areas of public lands 

 exist, are situated so that one part or another of California would 

 resemble their conditions closely enough for preliminary plans and 

 outlines of forest management appropriate for the entire Western 

 public land area. 



California contains mountains and plains, valleys, farm lands and 

 deserts. In the Northwest, Its cl.mate is one of, if not the moistest 

 in the United States; in the Southeast, it is one of the most arid. In 

 the Redwood belt there is a very large rainfall, and almost continuous 

 fog and mist between the rain seasons. In the Cocopah desert years 

 pass without a drop of rain, or even a cloudy day. 



California conditions, carefully considered, can do much to outLne 

 a forest and public land policy for the entire West. 



What is the public land situation here? 



California contains 99,301,083 acres of land; of this land, the area 

 appropriated is 40,392,418 acres; the area unappropriated is 43,841.044 

 acres; the area reserved is 15,127,621 acres. 



This gives a substantially accurate picture of our land situation. 

 In other states, including and west of the Rocky mountains, the pub- 

 lic lands are in much larger proportion. 



The above figures, however, do not give the exact facts. Of the 

 appropriated area, some has gone to the State tor taxes. In some of 

 the mountain counties th;s tax area is quite considerable. The State 

 Controller and the county officers thus far have found no general record 

 of this tax land; therefore no one can tell what it amounts to. 



Of the area reserved, a considerable part is patented and in private 

 hands. In some reserved districts the proportion of private holdings 

 is large, in others very small. 



The National Yosemite Park, of about one million acres area, is a 

 little more than half in private hands. The San Gabriel Reserve, 

 from the Cajon west, has a very small proportionate area in private 



