constitute one of the principal tasks of the Forest Service and occupy 

 the time and energies of a large number of its men. The manage- 

 ment of these forest properties distinguishes the work of the Forest 

 Service from, that of most Government bureaus. Its practical require- 

 ments have been met by a highly decentralized form of administra- 

 tion whereby the responsibility for handling local problems has been 

 placed m the forest officers on the ground. 



Administration of the national forests necessarily centers in the 

 Washington office, to which are attached certain higher officers engaged 

 in general direction and inspection; but for promptness and conveni- 

 ence of field administration 10 national-forest regions have been es- 

 tablished— 9 in the States and 1 in Alaska. Each region is under the 

 direct charge of a regional forester; associated with him are such tech- 

 nical assistants as may be necessary for the conduct of the work. 



There are now about 150 national forests, averaging more than a 

 million acres each. A supervisor is in charge of each forest, and his 

 staff may include an assistant supervisor and a number of technicians. 

 The forests are also divided into districts, each in charge of a district 

 ranger, who is responsible for the protection of this area and for the 

 conduct of its business. During the field season, fire-control assistants 

 and other aides are employed to supplement the regular force. 



The system of national forests is from time to time enlarged through 

 purchases of privately owned lands in a number of established pur- 

 chase areas, most of which are in the States east of the Great Plains. 

 These purchases are made under provisions of the Weeks and Clarke- 

 McNary laws. 



The protection of the national forests from fire is of fundamental 

 importance. Without adequate protection, all other efforts directed 

 toward increasing the productivity of the forests might be entirely 

 nullified. Continuous effort has therefore been directed toward this 

 objective. 



The use of the forests by the public is continually increasing and this 

 has necessarily intensified the fire problem. In addition, it has neces- 

 sitated the handling of an immense amount of current business. The 

 large volume of business involved in the management of forest and 

 forage and in the multiple use of land calls for constant and pains- 

 taking supervision 



All the different lines of work on a national forest are handled by 

 the regular administrative force under the immediate direction of the 

 supervisor. Since the very beginning, an effort has been made to apply 

 the best forestry practice practicable under existing conditions and the 

 more technical phases of the work have accordingly been handled as 

 far as possible by the men with technical education— men who have 

 entered tae Forest Service as junior foresters and range conservationists. 

 These men have had to perform such duties as mapping and estimat- 

 ing the timber on the forest, marking the trees to be removed in timber 

 sales, raising stock at nurseries for field planting, reforesting treeless 

 areas by planting, and looking after the varied phases of flood control 

 and range management. The rangers also are called upon to do work 

 of this character in addition to their regular protection and adminis- 

 trative duties. 



The second step in the development of the forests has been the 

 preparation of detailed plans for the administration and use of the 

 resources of each forest. Such plans require sound technical training 

 for their preparation and execution. Their perfection will be achieved 



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