Concepts and Contours in Land Utilization

Abstract Forestry borrowed its basic concept—production—from agriculture, and as in agriculture, the concept has been shifting rapidly to a new base. The fundamental thing, as now appears, is not increased production of farm and forest crops, but the identification, dedication and soundly economic use of such of our lands as have a geography and a quality to justify such use. The intensive use of farm and forest land, under the orthodox production formulae, will evidently be justified in only a small fraction of the total land available. What then of the marginal and submarginal lands? Shall they lie indefinitely idle, or do we devise and apply extensive utilization techniques? Both, probably. And wild life management, and various forms of "recreational engineering" will evidently take an increasing part in such extensive methods. For very large aggregates of land,the development and utilization of recreational resources and facilities is likely to dominate all other considerations. But it will be harder to get a proper shifting in basic concepts and precedents than to devise and apply appropriate technic. Lovejoy's handling of his subject is provocative to rough slugging rather than boxing. His long experience as a national forest supervisor, as a professor of forestry, as a writer of land economics and as head of various divisions in the Michigan State Conservation Department has given him an unusually good base line from which to triangulate into conservation affairs.