forage, fish and wildlife, and recreation — emphasizes the need for a 

 strong supporting research program in the years ahead. The steady 

 and rapid upswing in the need for resources and services from the 

 forests and the growing pressures and conflicts in use cannot be met 

 and solved without reliable information produced by systematic study. 

 The current and anticipated changes in forest resource use are very 

 great, as the following brief summarization shows. 



The estimated 350 million people in the United States in the year 

 2000 will need at least twice as much timber as is now being 

 produced. 



Forest fires, insects, diseases, and other destructive agents con- 

 tinue to take a heavy toll of forest growth. They constitute a 

 serious drain on timber resources and growth potential. Newly 

 discovered destructive diseases and insect pests are a serious threat 

 to expanding tree-planting activities and intensified forest manage- 

 ment programs. 



Forest recreational use is climbing rapidly. The estimated 400 

 million annual visits on publicly owned forests represents only part 

 of the current use on all forest lands, expected conservatively to 

 increase fourfold by the year 2000. 



The country's 940 million acres of grazed range, more than one- 

 fourth forested and one-half intermingled with forests, support 

 about one-half of our beef cattle and more than three-fourths of 

 our sheep for at least 6 months of the year. Many of these grazing 

 lands are vital watershed areas as well. 



Forests and related rangelands provide the main habitat for 10 

 million big-game animals and countless other forms of wildlife. 

 Thousands of miles of forest streams provide habitat for fish. To- 

 day a hunter or fisherman lives in every third home and the num- 

 bers are increasing and adding to the demands for increased fish 

 and wildlife resources. 



The needs for water will increase from the present use of 270 

 billion gallons per clay to 600 billion gallons by the year 1980. Since 

 more than half of the Nation's streamflow originates on forest lands, 

 the future protection and management of these watersheds to 

 maintain and increase good-quality water supplies is an absolute 

 necessity. 



The expanding needs of the Nation's future economy can best be 

 met with a rich and abundant natural resources base. Wood, the 

 most versatile of raw materials, occupies a key place in providing 

 the needed structural materials, fiber, extractives, and chemicals. 

 But improved and more efficient utilization of forest products must 

 be achieved in the face of general lowering of quality and size of 

 timber trees and stiffer competition from substitute materials. 



Needs for all forest and range resources are mounting rapidly. 

 These pressures against the forest resource base give sharp emphasis 

 to conflicts in use that are occurring now and could greatly increase 

 in the future. They stress the need for harmonious management of 

 forest and range lands to get maximum benefits under the principles 

 of multiple use. 



The growth in the need for and the use of the five basic forest re- 

 sources can be met by greatly intensified forest development and 

 management along with an increase in utilization proficiency. 

 Greater skill must be brought to bear on intensive measures of pro- 



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