WSP04067

• File Number: 8027
• Description: Section D General Correspondence - Federal Agencies - US Department of Agriculture-Forest Service
• State: CO
• Basin: Statewide
• Date: 5/21/1964
• Author: American Forestry As
• Title: A Conservation Program for American Forestry - Policy Statement - American Forestry Association
• Water Supply Pro - Doc Type: Publication

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6. Stimulation of public awareness of forest dis-
ease and insect problems so that support can be
secured for programs adequate to protect all forest
resources. Special efforts should be made to acquaint
the public wiIh the facts, both favorable and un-
favorable, regarding Ihe use of chemicals for control
of forest insects and diseases.

B. Protection from Fire

The number of fires and the acreage burned
annually have been reduced markedly during Ihe 26
years for which records are available.

Period No. of Fires Acreage Burned

(Avg. per yr.) (Avg. per..year)
1936-1940 210,364 31,038,304
1957-1961 97,574 3,671,858

Impressive as this record is, efforts to reduce damR
age by fire must be further intensified. About twenty-
four million acres of state and private forest land,
mostly in the South, are completely unprotected.
About forty million acres in Alaska and two hun-
dred million acres elsewhere receive partial protec-
tion but lack adequate defense during periods of
high fire danger. In addition, about - five hundred
million acres of privately owned, rural land lying
between recognized forest and range boundaries and
Ihe limits of organized communities receive little or
no protection.
Furthermore, the natural resources in need of
protection are more valuable today than they were
a decade or two ago.. Loss by fire no longer can be
measured only in terms of timber and young growth
destroyed. Under multiple use management losses
must also be assessed in terms of damage to the
site, injury to the watershed through destruction of
vegetative cover -and acceleration of runoff, impair-
ment of fish and wildlife habitat, aud reduction of
recreation and scenic values.
Fire prevention and control should be of concern
to the public generally as well as to all users of forest
and range resources.

We recommend:

I. That fire prevention programs be greatly in-
tensified.
2, That an all-out war on arsonists and illegal
woods burners be declared so that public opinion
will brand such people as felons and the courts will
treat Ihem accordingly.
3. That all forest l!.nd range land be placed under
organized fire control forces and that oIher rural
areas be given greater protection in the interests of
conservation and civil defense.
4. That adequate levels of fire protection be
established by:
a. Thorough analysis of the hazards and risks
involved.
b. Providing for sufficient personnel and
equipment to meet peak requirements.
c. Improving training programs in preventive
methods as well as in control techniques.

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d. Strengthening administrative and organiza-
tional procedures.
5. That forest fire laws be reviewed, state by
state, under a program coordinated by the National
Association -of State Foresters. Such a program
should include a review of enforcement policies and
procedures.
6. That research be emphasized in:
a. The peculiarities of fire weaIher.
b. Fire behavior under various climatic and
vegetative conditions.
c. Better metho'ds of controlling fires.
d. Human behavior, i.e. what motivates
woods burners?
e. Evaluation of damage to related resource
values such as water, wildlife and recrea-
tion.
'7. That an expanded program of fire weather
forecasting be provided on an operational basis and
that it pe made available to all nsers of the forest.
8. That controlled use of fire be recognized as a
tool to be used in reduction of hazardous conditions.
9. . That - better access to forested areas be de-
veloped for fire control purposes. In areas to be .
retained in a roadless condition, such as wilderness,
provision might be made for the use of helicopters.
10. That local citizens advisory committees be
organized to assist fire control agencies in making
critical analyses of forest protection programs.
C. Protection froDi Wildlife
Forest managers J:ecognize that production of tim-
ber can be compatible wiIh wildlife production.
Nevertheless, damage to forests by wildlife is, in
many areas, costly and detrimental to sustained
yields of timber and to-watershed values.
This subject is reviewed, with recommendations
pursuant thereto, under the section on Wildlife Man-
agement.
D. Protecting the Soil
While some progress has been made in recogniz-
ing and treating soil as the basic forest resource, for-
est and related soils have not yet received the atten~
tion they deserve. Their protection, improvement
and wise use must attain higher priority in forest
management pr-ograms if forest lands are to provide
maximum. benefits continuonsly.
We recommend:
1. That forest administrators give adequate con..
sideration to protection of soil in mnltiple use man-
agement programs. .
2. That research and education in the proper use
and protection of forest soils be accelerated.

II. Resouree Management
Forest, range and related lands provide a variety
of commodities and services that are of increasing
importance to the nation's economic and social wel..

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