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Show Forest grazing is another factor. Although cattle may be grazed successfully in the longleaf-slash pine areas in the lower coastal plain, forest grazing is damaging elsewhere. Such grazing thins the tree cover, destroys young hardwoods, disturbs litter, and compacts the soil. This results in low live- stock and timber yields and, at the same time, leads to excessive soil erosion and surface runoff. Current Program The Department of Agriculture's programs to alleviate these conditions have several aspects. Soil Conservation Districts have been organized which include almost the entire basin area. Conservation plans have been completed on about 20 percent of the farms or nearly half the farm land in the area. Full conservation treatments have been completed on 30 percent of the farm lands for which plans have been made. Financial assistance is available to farmers for performing certain needed soil and water conserva- tion practices through the agricultural conserva- tion program of the Production and Marketing Ad- ministration. About 2.5 million dollars has been spent annually on this program in the basin. Pas- tures and permanent vegetative cover have been established on approximately half of the area need- ing such treatment; 20 to 30 percent of the needed firebreaks, terraces, winter cover, and drainage have been installed; less than 10 percent of the needs for such practices as applying lime, phosphate or potash, forest tree planting and improvements, and contour farming have been met. The Forest Service cooperates with the States in a forestry program. This includes forest fire con- trol, distribution of forest planting stock to farmers, and technical assistance in forest management for woodland owners. Organized fire control is pro- vided to some degree to about 80 percent of the forest lands. Between 15 and 25 million tree seed- lings are distributed annually to owners of farm woodlands at nominal cost. National forests comprise only 4 percent of the forest land in the basin and play a small part in the conservation program. As the timber is cut a cer- tain amount of timber stand improvement is done. Approximately 3,500 acres of trees are planted each year. Cattle grazing permitted on national forest lands is being reduced to encourage hardwood restocking. Under a flood control authorization, the Soil Conservation Service has prepared detailed flood control plans for eight subwatersheds totaling some 900,000 acres in the Coosa Basin. On four of these, upstream flood control operations are under way. In these watersheds, the Forest Service has intensi- fied fire control, reforestation, and forest manage- ment activities. Program for Further Development The depleted condition of farm and forest lands and the generally inadequate management of these lands point to the need for accelerating and ex- panding present programs and activities. The forest management assistance program is to be broadened to provide technical assistance to owners of all woodlands and to proprietors of small wood- using industries. Forest tree planting should be extended to an additional 1.4 million acres. Pasture seeding is needed on 700,000 acres, while 200,000 acres of denuded forest areas and abandoned cropland should be retired to permanent vegetative cover. Further prevention of forest fires and protection against disease and insects are needed. Public controls of destructive practices may be needed. Public purchase of 500,000 acres of private lands within national forest boundaries is needed to as- sure a desired shift in land use and improved water- shed conditions. Special attention should be given to flood and sediment source areas. More technical and financial assistance will be needed to foster a well-balanced land treatment and conservation program in the area. Such a program must provide for efficient production as well as conservation of the land and water resources. It requires that emphasis be placed upon erosion control practices, proper rotation of crops and im- proved management practices. A shift from row crops to a livestock and grassland type of farming on much of the land is an important phase of this program. This requires the seeding of depleted pastures and abandoned or deteriorated croplands, building of fences, developing of stock-watering fa- cilities, fertilizing and liming pastures, and keeping livestock numbers adjusted to grazing capacities. A more extensive farm credit program will be necessary to permit adjustments in farming neces- sary to increase land productivity and farm income, and to achieve acceleration in the application of conservation measures. Expansion of the present program of watershed management research will be necessary to supple- ment present programs. 539 |
