14 FIRST BOOK OF FORESTRY 



If we stop to think a moment, we realize that as long 

 as man does not use or fire consume the timber, the 

 amount of wood which decays each year in the forest 

 must very nearly equal the yearly growth ; so that it is 

 really wasteful if a piece of woods is left entirely to 

 itself. 



We also note that these fungi are, after all, quite a useful 

 and even a necessary part of our woods. Of course they 

 are apt to do more than their share; and this handsome 

 birch would live longer and its trunk would be of much 

 more value without the fungus whose shelf-like, fruiting 

 body we see covering an old notch, cut by some thought- 

 less person merely to " try the ax." 



On our way home we see some other pieces of woods. 

 Most of them are open ; they lack the border ; cattle graze 

 in them, arid there is a considerable growth of grass. We 

 note a lack of young trees; and, on the whole, they give us 

 the impression that the growth is slow, that little timber 

 is produced, and that when the few remaining good old 

 trees are used up, the woods will be little else than 

 crippled brushwoods. 



WHAT LIGHT AND SHADE DO FOR THE WOODS 



Here is apparently a windfall; all trees seem to have 

 been blown over or broken off. It is a rough-looking 

 place. But see the large number of young trees ! Some 



