| OCR Text |
Show stands with optimum yields of saw timber, pulpwood can be produced in from 15 to 30 years, depending upon site3 soil type, moisture, and other factors. Forest and woodland resources have been de- pleted by improper cutting and logging methods, fire, and grazing. Forest stands have been cut and recut; the more favored species have been har- vested, leaving the lower quality trees to occupy the ground and to reproduce. Grazing of forest and woodland areas is practiced generally. Adjustments in land use for these areas should be directed toward using the land for pasture or forest, depending on the productive capabilities. The Department of Agriculture is authorized to carry out a watershed improvement program in the Coosa River watershed above Rome. This pro- gram is too limited in its application and too nar- row in its approach to meet the various land and water problems. Realizing this deficiency, the Sec- retary of Agriculture has indicated that future flood control surveys and plans should include additional land treatment measures and practices. Several agencies of the Department of Agricul- ture are engaged in programs related, either di- rectly or indirectly, to water and allied resources of the basin. The Production and Marketing Admin- istration through its conservation, price support, and commodity program; the Soil Conservation Service through technical assistance to farmers or- ganized in Soil Conservation Districts; the Forest Service through technical assistance, conservation, protection, and improvement of forest lands and cooperative assistance on private forests-all of these administer programs related to watershed improvement by the control of erosion and water runoff and drainage of wet agricultural lands. The Extension Service, through the land-grant col- leges, distributes information and educational data to farm p>eople. The Agricultural Research Administration car- ries on studies to devise better methods of land treatment^ crop improvement and related agricul- tural problems. The Farm Credit Administration and the [Farmers' Home Administration provide various forms of credit to aid farmers in land use adjustment, rehabilitation, and other credit needs. The Rura.1 Electrification Administration is author- ized to finance and supervise the development of cooperative systems to distribute electrical power in rural areas. The Bureau of Agricultural Econom- ics collects and assembles basic economic data es- sential in program planning. While the functions of these agencies are national in scope, these serv- ices are available and used in the Alabama-Coosa and other southeastern basins. The programs of various Federal agricultural agencies in this basin, however, are not fully co- ordinated. The various programs have been de- veloped over a period of years to meet certain specific problems encountered with respect to land utilization and other treatment problems. Au- thorities so developed have resulted in conflicting policies, overlapping procedures, and, in some cases, duplication of responsibilities. During recent years these problems have been solved, in part, by assigning specific responsibilities to individual agencies in line with each agency's special ability and interest. Technical assistance offered in agricultural programs is furnished by the Soil Conservation Service; educational work is handled through the Extension Service; conserva- tion payments, price supports, and commodity adjustment programs are handled through the Production and Marketing Administration. The Farm Credit Administration and Farmers' Home Administration are responsible for credit programs. This does not, however, provide the complete coor- dination necessary to carry out a unified or compre- hensive agricultural program in the basin. There is no specific basin-wide plan to coordinate the activities of all interested agencies. Coordinated plans for full development and treatment of the land resources of the basin have not been prepared. Because of the many separate agencies and specific programs involved, land use programs need careful coordination. The primary purpose of all land use programs is a healthy and prosperous agriculture, capable of providing present and future generations with abundant supplies of food, fiber, and forest products. Programs directed toward that goal can also reduce flood and sediment damages, protect and enhance the water resources, produce recreation benefits, and increase fish and wildlife resources. A com- plete conservation program for a farm contributes to the attainment of these ends at the same time it increases crop and livestock yields and farm in- come. Plans for main stream development in this basin are well advanced but these plans are based on watershed conditions as they exist now under gen- erally poor land management. They do not con- sider the extent to which a well-designed land use program would stabilize stream flow, alleviate flood 558 |
