For all such lands, public purchase and administration 

 is the logical answer. It has been estimated that some 

 90 million acres should be acquired by the Federal Gov- 

 ernment and administered as national forests. For 

 perhaps another 50 million acres, State or community 

 ownership seems desirable. 



The adjustments involved in this inevitable extension 

 of public land ownership will be easier and the problems 

 of restoration simplified if the necessary acquisition by 

 the public can be carried forward rapidly and syste- 

 matically. 



A necessary corollary of public ownership of timber- 

 lands, of course, is adequate provision for the protection,, 

 development, and utilization of the public forests. 



16. Would public forest regulation conflict 

 with freedom of enterprise? 



Regulatory measures which would serve to keep our 

 remaining forests productive, and restoration of the 

 growing stock on our depleted forest lands, would 

 greatly enlarge the field for private enterprise. New 

 opportunities for business activity would be opened up, 

 and new sources of national income developed. 



Regulation of timber cutting practices would of course 

 mean some restriction on what a man might do on his 

 own property. It would by no means be the first or 

 only such restriction, however. The railroads, the pub- 

 lic utilities, radio broadcasting, the meat-packing* indus- 

 try, industrial labor, and many other activities are 

 subject to Federal regulation. The right of the public 

 to restrict or prevent actions detrimental to public wel- 

 fare is long established. We do not allow a man to make 

 his place a public nuisance, or a source of damage to his 

 neighbors. We require him to get a permit and to com- 

 ply with building restrictions and zoning laws if he 

 wants to build a residence or construct a warehouse. 



Destructive timber cutting may have far-reaching ef- 

 fects. It may dry up a neighbor's water supply, or con- 

 tribute to flood damage hundreds of miles away. It 



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