25 MISC. PUBLICATION 290, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 



drying winds. Through other local effects, trees so grown modify 

 their immediate environment and the living conditions for man, beast, 

 bird, and vegetation. 



NEW ENGLAND FOREST EMERGENCY PROJECT 



The September 1938 hurricane which hit the Xew England States 

 created a serious emergency in the forests of the area. Trained men 

 of the Forest Service were on the scene within a few hours, opening 

 emergency headquarters at Boston, Mass., to aid in the fire-control 

 and salvage problems. Surveys showed more than a billion feet of 

 timber had been blown down by the hurricane; this presented not 

 only an unprecedented forest-fire hazard, but also a huge job of 

 salvaging the wind-thrown timber in order to avoid a staggering 

 economic loss to forest owners. With little delay a mammoth pro- 

 gram covering the entire area was organized and under way. Offices 

 were opened in the six States directly affected, in addition to the main 

 headquarters. Some 820,000,000 worth of timber was salvaged in the 

 operation for which payment was made directly to the individual 

 owners. The fire hazard has been greatly reduced and there were no 

 serious fires in the first 15 months following the inception of the 

 project : however, the dry and decaying timber and debris will con- 

 tinue to present a hazard requiring constant vigilance. 



LAND ACQUISITION FOR STATE FORESTS 



The Fulmer Act of 1935 provided for Federal cooperation with 

 States in the purchase of forest lands. Liquidation of Federal finan- 

 cial aid to the States will come from the sale of forest products from 

 these lands. These areas will eventually become State-owned forests, 

 but title may not be passed unless the State adheres to certain pre- 

 scribed forestry practices. 



The program calls for aid to the States in selecting productive 

 lands so located as to serve the maximum public good. It is the hope 

 that a system of State forests of somewhere near 30,000,000 acres will 

 eventually be established that will be highly productive of all forest 

 resources, and also that will serve as first-rate demonstrations showing 

 the money and other returns that may be expected to result from the 

 practice of sound forestry management. 



OTHER COOPERATIVE PROGRAMS 



The Forest Service also cooperates in naval stores conservation, the 

 1940 program having been approved by the Secretary of Agriculture 

 for operation under the provisions of the Soil Conservation and 

 Domestic Allotment Act. Participation by producers and operators 

 is voluntary. All field and inspectional work is conducted by the For- 

 est Service. Objectives of the program are promotion of economic 

 use and conservation of land, prevention of wasteful use and exploita- 

 tion of turpentine resources, and extension of forest -fire protection in 

 the naval stores region. 



Forest Service officers are also working with the Agricultural Ad- 

 justment Administration in examining private western range land- 

 to determine carrying capacity. The Forest Service is thus cooper- 



