OUR FORESTS 37 



of such lands in the United States, largely tile result of destructive 

 lumbering, fire, or both. 



The amount of deforested land in the United States has been in- 

 creasing every year. The people have been taking an enormous toll 

 of their forests, cdtting o ver about 10,000,000 acres annually to meet 

 their timber requirements. Since natural growth does not replace 

 all of this acreage, more land is added annually to the total área 

 of deforested lands. 



While it is hopee! the day of wastef ul f orest exploitation is nearing 

 an end, forest fires are still with us, and they form one of the 

 greatest problems of present-day forestry. For the last 25 years 

 the Forest Service and some of the States have been wrestling with 

 fire on the publie forests and have developed extensive systems 

 of fire suppression and control. The Forest Service is also coop- 

 erating with State officials and through them with private agencies 

 in the protection of forest lands f rom fire. 



Nevertheless, each year sees fire increase our acreage of devastated 

 land, causing losses amounting to millions of dollars. More than 

 73,000 fires oceurred in 1938 on the forest land protected by Federal, 

 State, and other agencies, and it is estimated that in the same 

 year over 117,000 fires oceurred in unprotected lands. Of the total 

 number of fires on protected lands 25 percent were caused by smokers ; 

 25.4 percent by incendiarles; 13.6 percent by debris burning; 9 per- 

 cent by lightning; 4.3 percent by railroads; 6 percent by campers; 

 1.8 percent by lumbering; 8.3 percent by miscellaneous agencies; 

 and 6.6 percent were of unknown origin. There is need for still 

 greater eífort in the suppression of forest fires, not only by the 

 Federal and State Governments, but by private owners as well. 

 Only about two-thirds of our total área of forest land is as yet 

 under any system of organized protection, and much of this pro- 

 tection is still inadequate. The suppression of fire is vital to our 

 continued forest prosperity. 



Some deforested lands, of course, may be more valuable for other 

 purposes than for the growing of trees. On others, however, the 

 forest is necessary for watershed protection or for the industrial 

 prosperity of the región. In many cases lands have been entirely 

 deprived of the ability to reforest themselves, and to bring them back 

 to any degree of productivity man must lend nature a hand by 

 planting young trees. Since all land should be put to work growing 

 the crop for which it is best fitted it is certainly poor economy to let 

 forest lands lie idle, especially in view of the fact that our forest 

 needs are not appreciably diminishing. 



The Federal Government and the States cooperating under the 

 Clarke-McNary Act are each year reforesting a portion of their de- 

 nuded lands. Many plantings are also made by municipalities, lum- 

 ber companies and other industrial and private organizations, schools, 

 and colleges. Farmers are planting for the extensión and improve- 

 ment of farm woodlands and windbreaks. The total área planted 

 by all of these agencies amount s to about 245,000 acres each year. 

 But millions of acres still need planting. 



Farmers and other landowners wishing to reforest their lands can 

 obtain advice and asdstance from their State or extensión foresters. 

 The States cooperating under section 4 of the Clarke-McNary Act 



