OCR Text |
Show in cover conditions. A cooperative reforestation program has existed for about the same period, but most plantings have been outside critical areas and have had less effect on watershed conditions than would be desirable. More recently a cooperative forest management program has been undertaken in which all basin States and the Federal Govern- ment participate. The Federal Government has acquired 295,000 acres in the upper portion of the watershed, in the Green and White Mountains, and States have pur- chased 325,000 acres, usually scattered in small blocks throughout the basin. A major objective of the national forest purchase program has been to improve watershed conditions. Sixteen Soil Conservation Districts now include practically all of the basin. These districts contain 7.6 million acres within and outside the basin. Farm conservation plans have been prepared for 2,900 farms containing about half a million acres, in- clusive of farm woodland. Conservation treatment has been applied to about 82,000 acres. The major objective is to bring land use into harmony with land capability. Program for the Immediate Future The current soil conservation program of the De- partment of Agriculture, in cooperation with or- ganized soil conservation districts, is expected to continue at least on its present basis. The Federal- State cooperative programs in forest fire control, reforestation, and assistance to woodland operators will be carried forward on a continuing basis. En- largements of the national forests are expected from time to time as opportunity is afforded to acquire lands needing restoration or repair to meet water- shed objectives. The Department of Agriculture is completing a watershed survey of the basin. A report recom- mending a program of erosion prevention and water flow retardation measures is under review by the States. No research on the effect of forests on water has yet been begun. Programs for Further Development Orderly progress of the soil conservation work in the basin is thought to require a gradual increase in expenditures to about four times the present rate ($290,000 per year) by 1960. Tentative recommendations for eventual land use adjustments call for a reduction of 90,000 acres in cultivated land and 30,000 acres of grassland and an increase of 120,000 acres of forest. It is expected that additional lands within present boundaries of the national forests will be acquired from time to time and the national forests enlarged to provide suitable treatment to reduce damaging runoff and erosion potentials. Fire damaged areas will be reforested and stands improved to provide maximum hydrologic effects. It is hoped that present cooperative reforestation and management programs will be accelerated. Research is tentatively planned on rates of ero- sion and sedimentation, mechanics of stream flow, and the management of forest areas. Recreation Present Situation The combination of water, rugged topography, cool inviting forest, and a large metropolitan popu- lation within a half day's motor trip of much of the watershed, makes the basin a heavily used recrea- tional area. Hunting and fishing are prime attrac- tions for sportsmen, who paid in license fees to the States over half a million dollars in 1946. Most recreational facilities of New England have been provided by private initiative. The best sites for recreational purposes are intensively used or privately owned-so much so, in fact, that the gen- eral public is now virtually excluded from numer- ous lakes, long reaches of the streams, and adjacent natural beach areas. Demand for recreation exceeds the supply. Leisure, good roads, and the proximity of densely populated metropolitan areas have resulted in a great surge of public interest in outdoor recreation at all seasons of the year, but especially in summer and in winter. Facilities for public recreation in the basin are limited in relation to the demand. Each of the States has a few significant State parks, forests, and recreational areas in the basin. The National Park Service aids State agencies in carrying out their park and recreational program. However, there are no national parks in the basin. In the densely settled southern portion, some of the larger urban centers have built park systems to serve local needs. Among these are the two well-known park systems of Hartford, Conn., and Springfield, Mass. 481 |