Range are admirably adapted for skiing and other 
winter sports and are readily accessible to the prin- 
cipal cities and towns. Within 1} hours’ drive of 
Portland is the Mount Hood area on the Mount 
Hood National Forest, and equally accessible to 
Seattle and Tacoma are the Snoqualmie Falls area 
on the Snoqualmie National Forest and Paradise 
Valley in Mount Rainier National Park. Within 
recent years great progress has been made in the 
development of State parks, located chiefly on the 
principal highways; although overnight camping is 
not permitted in many of the State parks. 
The privately owned forest land is not all avail- 
able for public recreation use; many forest owners 
forbid trespass on their property near the highways 
because of the increased fire risk and cost of protec- 
tion. The trespass laws of Oregon and Washington 
are not enforceable on unfenced wild land, but the 
widespread use of closure by State officials under 
authority of fire laws has resulted in material re- 
striction of public use of forest land during critical 
fire weather. Nevertheless, there are large areas 
of private forest land where the public may hunt or 
fish undisturbed unless they violate State game laws. 
Farm woods, the most accessible of forest lands, are 
generally closed to public use, although some farm- 
ers add to their income by making a small charge 
tor the use of their woods for recreation. A definite 
need exists for small forest picnic and camp grounds, 
in addition to the existing State parks, on the high- 
ways near the larger cities. 
Wildlife Production and Use 
This region is well supplied with wildlife. The ex- 
tensive forests furnish food and shelter for the native 
fauna and have prevented its depletion. Hunting 
and fishing have not made the inroads on the game 
resources here that have been reached in more 
densely populated regions. 
The forests contribute to the maintenance of the 
fish population by regulating stream flow, moderat- 
ing water temperature, and keeping the water clear. 
Other uses of the forests, including recreation, pro- 
tection, timber production, and grazing, do not 
seriously disturb wildlife production when properly 
coordinated. In fact, cutting operations usually 
result in an increase in shrubby and herbaceous vege- 
tation, which affords more food for game animals. 
224146 °—40——6 
77 
Fire has undoubtedly been responsible for the 
destruction of much wildlife. Immediately follow- 
ing a crown fire the deforested area is vegetated 
by plants affording better feed than the original 
dense woods, and the game population usually 
increases by attraction from surrounding forests; 
but repeated burning results finally in a reduction 
of feed and consequent lowering of the game pop- 
ulation. In some parts of the region it has been a 
not uncommon practice for local residents to set 
fire to the forests to improve the hunting. Over 
a period of years this practice results in impair- 
ment of the wildlife resource. The aborigines are 
generally supposed to have done this, particularly 
in the Willamette Valley, and the treeless condition 
of this area when white settlement began is thought 
The reclaim- 
ing of some of these lands in the foothills of both 
the Willamette and Umpqua Valleys through fire 
protection has resulted in some of the most thrifty 
to have resulted from this practice. 
stands of even-aged immature Douglas-fir now 
found there. 
Game management, including protection of wild- 
life, has made some progress. The posting of 
privately owned forests against hunting and fishing, 
although far from universal, is increasing and is 
not likely to lessen as the population grows and 
as better roads bring in more tourists. Hunting 
and fishing are also forbidden on large areas of 
both private and public forest land set aside by 
the State and Federal Governments as wildlife 
refuges. During critical fire weather other forest 
areas are closed temporarily for protection against 
fires that might be started by hunters, fishermen, 
and other forest users. ‘The national forests, with 
their traditional policy of multiple land use, guar- 
antee the people of this region large areas on which 
wildlife management will be correlated with other 
forest use. Eventually it may be necessary to 
make provision for wildlife management on all 
public and private forest lands. 
Grazing 
The shrubs and herbaceous species that grow in 
the shade of the dense forests of the Douglas-fir 
region proper are usually of low forage value. 
Woody shrubs, such as Oregon hollygrape, salal, 
huckleberry, vine maple, and hazel, with little or 
