OCR Text |
Show Watershed Control Upstream and Related Land Programs The Present Situation It is estimated that at least 12.5 million acre- feet, or 60 percent of the annual runoff of the Cen- tral Valley, comes from the national forest lands. A large share of the remainder comes from private forest lands and a small amount from the 1.5 million acres of public domain. Watershed management to bring about maximum useful water yields is a primary objective of na- tional forest administration. Serious grazing prob- lems formerly were common in the national forests but are becoming less acute as a result of reduc- tions in livestock numbers and better range man- agement practices. Erosion conditions generally are not a serious concern within the national forests, but they could be improved, especially in moun- tain meadows. An accelerated planting schedule is desirable for some 525,000 acres of forest land. Large volumes of good timber within the national forests have not been harvested because of inacces- sibility. If these stands could be utilized, it would be possible to harvest stands which are declining because o>f losses in old growth and more quickly permit the development of sustained yield enter- prises. Timber cutting on private forests has not been well managed. Only about 25 percent of private cutting is adequately managed for proper water- shed protection. Overgrazing on private lands within the national forests and in foothill areas has caused extensive erosion damage. On the whole, erosion and sedimentation are not major problems within the Central Valley now, but the potential danger is great unless watershed lands are closely watched and properly managed. Com- placency on account of the present situation could be dangerous because of the impact of the growing population on the forest resource. There are 15 soil conservation districts in the Central Valley. They comprise only a small frac- tion of the total land of the valley. About 200,000 acres of la.nd have received treatment. On the irrigated lands of the valley most farms need bette x water application methods to conserve water and reduce erosion and leaching. Drainag"e problems occur locally where water tables are high or where heavy alkaline soils and poor irrigation practices exist. Present Programs and Program Needs Fire hazards are high during the long, dry sum- mers. Federal and State funds available for forest fire control protect the forests adequately, except during periods of extreme hazards. Present meas- ures for protection of timber stands against insect and disease damages are adequate unless epidemic conditions should arise. Logging practices in na- tional forests are generally good, but further im- provement is necessary. More access roads are needed to insure maximum utilization of the timber resources. Grazing and big game management in the national forests needs to be strengthened. Rec- reational use of the forests is increasing so rapidly that facilities for such use need immediate expan- sion. Public acquisition and management of criti- cal flood and sediment source areas in the mountains are needed. The Secretary of Agriculture is authorized to cooperate with State forest officials to encourage the providing of technical services to private forest landowners with respect to management of forest lands.10 This program needs to be expanded. Much more tree planting is needed on private forest lands. State forest lands should be consolidated into manageable units. Attempts to convert brush lands to grass are creat- ing new problems. In some areas this practice may prove beneficial, but many steep slope and thin soil areas will suffer severe erosional damage, and con- tribute to flood flows. Research to guide this work is urgently needed. An expansion of the present program of water- shed management research would assist greatly in achieving maximum benefits from this conservation effort. Programs to guide and assist the farmers in initiat- ing better irrigation practices need expansion. This will be especially true for farmers on new irrigated lands. Studies designed to insure application of limited water supplies to the most productive land are desirable. Irrigation farming in the Central Valley requires large capital investments. A more extensive farm credit program will be necessary as new irrigated land is brought into production in order to achieve the most efficient production on these new lands. 10 Act of August 25, 1950, § 1, 64 Stat. 473. 102 |