Library Record
Metadata
Title |
A National Plan for American Forestry, Volume I |
Catalog Number |
2014.021.001 |
Object Name |
Report |
Summary |
A National Plan for American Forestry, Volume I 1933 Forest Service report (commonly called the Copeland Report) on the forest problem of the United States pursuant to Senate Resolution 175 (72d Congress, 1st session), introduced by Senator Royal S. Copeland. The Department of Agriculture construes the central purpose of the resolution to be a coordinated plan which will insure all of the economic and social benefits which can and should be derived from productive forests by fully utilizing the forest land, and by making all of its timber and other products and its watershed, recreational, and other services available in quantities adequate to meet national requirements. The main findings of the inquiry made in compliance' with the resolution are: 1. That practically all of the major problems of American forestry center in, or have grown out of, private ownership. 2. That one of the major problems of public ownership is that of unmanaged public lands. 3. That there has been a serious lack of balance in constructive efforts to solve the forest problem as between private and public ownership and between the relatively poor and the relatively good land. 4. That the forest problem ranks as one of our major national problems. The main recommendations, as the only assured means of anything approaching a satisfactory solution of the forest problem, are for: 1.A large extension of public ownership of forest lands, and 2.More intensive management on all publicly owned lands. The extent to which the major problems of American forestry center in, or have grown out of, private ownership are indicated by the following: Ninety percent of the total area of devastated and poorly stocked forest land and 95 percent of the current devastation is on privately owned lands. Forest deterioration, which is far more extensive and hence more serious than devastation, results from cutting without regard for the future productivity of the forest, or from forest fires, or from the two combined. More than 99 percent of such cutting and 98 percent of the area burned annually is on private lands. The public policy of passing excessive areas of forest land to private ownership and the private cut-out-and-get-out policy has wrecked or seriously reduced the productivity of the land, made it difficult or impossible to pay taxes, and hence has led to tax reversion so large in several forest regions as to constitute virtually a breakdown of private ownership. Stability of tenure is one of the essential for timber growing. Transmittal letter to Congress was signed by Henry A. Wallace, Secretary of Agriculture. R. Y. Stuart signed the Forest Service transmittal to the Secretary of Agriculture. Earle H, Clapp, in charge of the Forest Service Branch of Research was the person responsible for preparation of the report. |
Published Date |
1933 |
Physical Description |
Hardcover: 6.5" X 9.25", 1,050 pages |
People |
Copeland, Royal S. Wallace Henry A. Stuart, Robert Y. Clapp, Earle H. |
Subjects |
Forest Resources Private forestry Congress Copeland Report |
Search Terms |
Congress Private Forestry Timber Resources |
Publisher |
U.S. Senate |
Catalog date |
2014-06-20 |
Collection |
Dolan, John |
Number of images |
0 |