WORK OF THE UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE \% 



playgrounds is evidenced by the increase in number of persons pass- 

 ing through them from a few more than 3 million in 1917 to more 

 than 71 million in 1936. These figures, of course, include "repeaters" 

 and those who visit more than one national forest. 



Roads and trails, marked by signs, make the forests reasonably 

 accessible. Public campgrounds have been established in localities 

 frequented by large numbers of people. Water facilities, fireplaces, 

 and comfort stations are being constructed for the convenience of 

 visitors as rapidly as available funds permit. 



The national forests are the home of the country's big game. 

 There are also many excellent trout streams and lakes, frequently 

 restocked with fish, which offer keen sport to the angler. In 

 general, the only restrictions on hunting and fishing are those im- 

 posed by the fish and game laws of the States in which the forests 

 are located. All that is asked of the visitor is that he look to the 

 proper sanitation of his camp and be careful with fire. 



Permission to occupy national-forest land for residential, com- 

 mercial, or industrial purposes not unfavorable to the protection and 

 management of the forest may be obtained under special-use permits 

 granted upon payment of moderate fees. Detailed information may 

 be obtained upon application to the forest supervisor. 



PRIMITIVE AREAS ARE MAINTAINED 



Within the national forests a number of primitive areas have 

 been established. Here primitive conditions of environment, trans- 

 portation, habitation, and subsistence are maintained with a view 

 to conserving permanently the value of these lands for purposes of 

 public education and the pioneer type of recreation. 



The Forest Service intends, in maintaining primitive areas, to 

 preserve unique natural i T alues and to give the public opportunity 

 to experience the conditions which existed in the pioneer days of 

 the Nation's development, and to engage in the forms of outdoor 

 recreation characteristic of that period. 



CONSERVATION OF WILDLIFE 



The national forests are becoming increasingly important in pre- 

 serving and restoring one of America's basic resources — wildlife. 

 They aid in maintaining opportunity for the public to enjoy the 

 aesthetic, scientific, and social pursuits that are based on adequate 

 populations of game animals, birds, and fish. 



Wildlife is considered by the Forest Service as a resource to be 

 managed for permanent protection and use, as are other national- 

 forest resources. The total national value of this economic resource 

 is estimated at more than $1,000,000,000 annually. Through the 

 practice of scientific wildlife management, aided by research findings 

 of the Bureau of Biological Survey, the aim is to develop and main- 

 tain this resource on a permanent basis. 



In the West as a whole, almost 75 percent of the remaining big- 

 game summer ranges are now T within the national forests. And, 

 despite the fact that the number of persons passing through the 

 national forests, fishermen and hunters included, increased from 

 3,000,000 to 71,000,000 over a 20-year period, the number of big-game 

 animals on the national forests increased an estimated average of 

 about 140 percent between 1924 and 1937. 



