with minor additions would be adequate to meet 
present conditions, but should be modified as con- 
ditions change. The great needs in fire protection 
are stricter enforcement of the existing laws and 
more money to finance an adequate protective 
system. 
Some of the specific steps necessary to advance 
forest protection are as follows: 
1. The wild lands outside public forests should be 
classified to determine the major areas chiefly val- 
uable for forest purposes and requiring protection. 
Forest-protective agencies should then confine their 
efforts to these lands, and other agencies such as 
rural fire departments should be held responsible 
for the protection of the intervening agricultural 
and farm-woodland territory. 
2. Following land classification, there should be 
land use legislation to prevent attempts to use forest 
land for agricultural settlement, since such uneco- 
nomic use of submarginal land is sure in this region 
to increase the fire hazard to adjoining forests. 
3. In anticipation that the private timberland 
owners’ contribution toward protection will dimin- 
ish as the area of virgin forest diminishes, the State 
should assume a greater share in the protection of 
county and private lands and ultimately have en- 
tire jurisdiction over all forest protection outside 
Federal holdings. State appropriations should 
therefore be materially increased, to intensify the 
present protection and law enforcement. 
4. Through educational effort and otherwise, 
better compliance with the forest-protection laws 
must be brought about and these laws must be more 
strictly enforced in the lower courts. 
5. Probably the greatest technical weakness of 
the forest protection on private lands is in the 
methods of burning slashings and subsequently pro- 
tecting logged-off lands. There is need for much 
progress here, particularly in developing methods 
for abating the hazard, without detriment to forest 
productivity, on lands that have been selectively 
cut. Alarger force of year-long trained fire wardens 
is needed to give expert help and supervision in in- 
dividual slash-burning and land-clearing operations. 
6. The Civilian Conservation Corps has been so 
helpful in fire suppression and prevention and has 
been so integrated with the regular fire-control or- 
ganizations during the last few years that a sudden 
140 
reduction or withdrawal of its help would be up- 
setting to the protective agencies. This or equiva- 
lent assistance should be given. 
7. Adetermined effort should be made to have in- 
surance companies offer, and timber owners pur- 
chase, insurance for forest lands. The general in- 
suring of forests would give financial security and 
stability to forest ownership and have a salutary 
effect on fire prevention. 
Reforestation of Denuded Lands 
Large-scale forest planting in this region cannot 
be justified economically until areas reforesting nat- 
urally are better safeguarded. The money that 
would be required to plant extensive areas where 
natural reforestation is impossible would bring far 
ereater returns if spent on improving methods of 
cutting, slash disposal, and fire protection. 
A program for permanent C. C. C. work should 
include planting of deforested burns on national 
forests and State forests that will not restock natu- 
rally in a reasonable period. 
Forest Research 
Forest research as now carried on by the Forest 
Service, the forest schools, and industrial organiza- 
tions is giving beneficial results and should be con- 
tinued and expanded. The industry itself should 
make more intensive studies of its industrial prob- 
lems, either through its trade associations or other- 
wise. The States themselves are doing very little 
research, though there is a field for State activities 
as a supplement to Federal activities; their research 
might best be conducted through their forest schools 
and should be well coordinated with the Federal 
experiment station’s program. 
Expansion of the present forest-research program 
is needed particularly along the following lines: 
1. Silvicultural and economic aspects of selective cutting. 
2. Improved methods of slash disposal and of protecting 
logged-off land, particularly areas selectively cut. 
3. Further intensification of the Forest Survey to develop 
basic policies and principles for forest-land use and to de- 
termine how forestry fits in with other major types of land 
use. 
4. Basis for distinguishing areas chiefly valuable for forest 
purposes from areas chiefly valuable for agricultural use or 
pasturage. 
