290 



TIMBER RESOURCES FOR AMERICA'S FUTURE 



Public Domain Reserved for 

 National Values 



From time to time, the Federal Government 

 provided for retention of public-domain lands in 

 Federal ownership to meet certain paramount 

 national needs. In the first major conservation 

 action in 1891, Congress provided for the estab- 

 lishment of forest reserves, later to be known as 

 national forests, to protect the timber and water 

 resources on important parts of the remaining 

 public domain. At various times, other with- 

 drawals were made for national purposes, including 

 Indian reservations, military reserves, national 

 parks, reclamation and flood-control areas, and 

 wildlife refuges. 



About 230 million acres of land in the conti- 

 nental United States, or 16 percent of the original 

 public domain, has thus been reserved by the 

 Federal Government for specific public uses. 

 This includes 134 million acres in the national 

 forests, 54 million acres held in trust for Indians, 

 and 41 million acres in holdings administered by 

 various other Federal agencies. In Alaska, about 

 21 million acres of public domain has been desig- 

 nated for national forests, 32 million acres for 

 military reserves, and 19 million acres for other 

 public uses. 



Nearly a thu'd of the 230 million acres of 

 public-domain lands retained for public use in 

 the continental United States is classed as com- 

 mercial forest land. Somewhat more than a 

 quarter of the total is noncommercial forest with 

 high public value for watersheds, recreation, 

 hunting, and fishing. The balance is principallv 

 range, alpine, or desert lands. 



Large Areas of Vacant Public 

 Domain Remain 



There also remauis in the continental United 

 States about 171 million acres of vacant, unappro- 

 priated, and unreserved public domain under the 

 administration of the Bureau of Land Manage- 

 ment. About 162 million acres are in Taylor 

 Grazing Districts or are leased for grazing. 

 These remnant, vacant, public-domain lands that 

 have neither been specifically reserved for national 

 purposes nor disposed of under the various land- 

 disposal laws represent about 12 percent of the 

 original public domain. 



With the exception of scattered forest and wood- 

 land, these lands consist mainly of desert, semi- 

 desert, and rough mountainous areas that have 

 remained in Federal ownership largely because of 

 their limited commercial value for private ownei-- 

 ship. Most of Alaska — about 290 million acres — 

 also is still vacant and unappropriated public 

 domain. 



Some Land Reacquired by 

 Federal Government 



Long-term trends in Federal holdings show a 

 continuing net movement of land out of Federal 

 ownership, although during the depression years 

 of the 1930's and World War II acquisitions ex- 

 ceeded disposals. From time to time, land has 

 been purchased or acquired through exchanges or 

 donations for national forests, national parks, 

 military resei-vations, game refuges, reclamation, 

 flood control, development of power and atomic 

 energ\-, and other public purposes. During the 

 years of the great depression, certain areas of 

 submarginal farmland also were purchased bj- 

 the Federal Government as part of a program of 

 land conservation and utilization. 



At the end of 1953, such acquired lands totaled 

 about 58 million acres, including 46 million acres 

 obtained bj^ purchase and 12 million largely by 

 exchanges and donations. These acquired lands 

 represent about 13 percent of the 459 million acres 

 of land owned or administered by the Federal 

 Government in the continental United States. 



Federal disposals of public domain and acquisi- 

 tions of land over the years may be summarized 

 as follows: 



Alaska 

 United States {million 



(million acres) acres) 



Original public doinaiu 1, 442 365 



Disposals 1,041 3 



Reserved for public purposes 230 72 



Vacant and unappropriated 171 290 



Purchases and other acquisi- 

 tions 58 



Total owned or adminis- 

 tered bv the Federal 

 Governiiient 459 362 



State and Local Public Land 

 Policies Vary 



The area of public domain granted by the 

 Federal Government or reserved to the States 

 totaled about 232 million acres. Most of these 

 lands were later transferred to private ownership. 

 In 1950, State land holdings included only about 

 52 million acres of grants from the public domain, 

 plus about 28 million acres acquu'ed largely 

 through tax delinquency. Much of the present 

 State land is in scattered holdings suitable chiefly 

 for range use, but roughly a fourth of the total is 

 classed as commercial forest land. 



County and other local governments also have 

 acquired fairly large areas of rural land, chiefly 

 through tax delinquency, including about 8 

 million acres of commercial forest land. 



Many of the State and local public land holdings 

 are managed for such purposes as forests, parks, 



