What the National Forests Mean to the Intermountain Region

Forest Service Intermountain Region

No 414507, USDA Miscellaneous from United States Department of Agriculture

Abstract: Report Summary: Though the prosperity of the intermountain region appears superficially to belong entirely to the valleys, it is to a remarkable extent derived from the forest-covered mountains. The development of the fur trade, irrigated farming, the lumber industry, the greater part of the livestock industry, the hydroelectric-power industry, and public recreation—the activities which contribute most to the prosperity and happiness of the intermountain region—are traceable directly to the wood, water, and forage supplied by the mountains; and the continuance of these activities, as well as their further development, necessitates the perpetuation of at least as much forest cover as the mountains now have. Destroy this vegetation, and though the mountains continue to stand there—bare masses of rock and earth—they will fail to perform their mission of contributing to the wealth of the region. In a semiarid climate, nature can heal wounds upon the mountains only slowly. In the meantime, erosion and destruction go on more and more rapidly, so that the forces of reconstruction wage a losing fight against them. It is therefore imperative that forest visitors, private forest owners, and the general public cooperate whole-heartedly in working for the perpetuation of the intermountain forests.

Keywords: Community/Rural/Urban Development; Crop Production/Industries; Land Economics/Use; Livestock Production/Industries; Resource/Energy Economics and Policy (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 30
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:ags:usdami:414507

DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.414507

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