consistent with permanent maintenance. Thousands of families are di- 

 rectly or indirectly dependent on these ranges for their livelihood, and 

 nearby stockmen have invested millions of dollars in ranch properties which 

 would be far less valuable without national forest forage. 



A good supply of forage can be assured year after year only by not allow- 

 ing the land to be overcrowded with stock or grazed too early in the season. 

 Under Forest Service regulation, overgrazed range is improved and further 

 damage or denuding is prevented. 



PROTECTING OUR WATERSHEDS 



Vegetation — forests, brush, and grasses — covering mountain ranges and 

 other large areas exerts a powerful influence on the regularity of our water 

 supplies. Water for domestic and industrial uses arid for irrigation comes 

 largely from rain and snow falling on mountains and hills. Here also are the 

 headwaters of our navigable rivers. Congress, therefore, made the preser- 

 vation of conditions favorable to stream flow one of the principal objectives 

 in the establishment and administration of the national forests. 



It has become increasingly apparent that the stability of many industries 

 and communities depends upon the condition of the Nation's watersheds. 

 The relationship of watershed protection to flood control has been brought 

 into sharper focus by the disastrous floods of recent years. 



Permanent operation of hydroelectric power plants also depends in large 

 measure upon the regularity of the water supply and the checking of silting. 

 Along the streams within the national forests are many sites suitable for 

 power development. The Government, however, does not permit monop- 

 olization of power in any region, or allow power sites to be held without 

 prompt development. Where other values outweigh that of power on a 

 particular site, the principle of the greatest use to the greater number 

 prevails. 



A well-kept forest — best of natural soil builders — is nature's great water 

 reservoir. Without vegetation, particularly on steep slopes, there is little to 

 keep water from flowing down hill too rapidly and carrying away much of 

 the soil. On steep slopes, forests and well-sodded pastures hold back more 

 rain water and soil than denuded woodlands or overgrazed ranges. 



Foresters know that the preservation of vegetative cover on watersheds 

 will not absolutely prevent floods. Their research findings and observa- 

 tions, however, demonstrate that the retarding effect of such cover can 

 greatly increase the seepage and lessen the amount of runoff pouring into 

 main streams and tributaries after a heavy rainfall. Also, by affording 

 adequate protection to the soil much silt can be kept out of the rivers. 

 Forests, therefore, exert powerful controls on the height of flood crests. 



In any national flood-control plan, forestry will play an important part. 

 Good forestry practices may be used with other soil-conserving and water- 

 holding measures to help control the waters at their sources, while engineer- 

 ing works, such as dams, dispersion basins, levees, and spillways, provide 

 protection downstream. 



RECREATIONAL FACILITIES 



Motorists, campers, fishermen, hunters, winter-sports enthusiasts, and 

 seekers after health, rest, and recreation find in the national forests magnifi- 

 cent opportunities for outdoor life and enjoyment, as shown by the remark- 

 able increase in the number of persons visiting them in the last two decades. 



The national forests now contain more than 5,000 camp and picnic 

 grounds, winter-sports areas, organization camps, and resorts developed for 



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