CHAPTER XXI 



FOEESTEY 



Importance of the Forest. Next to the soil itself, 

 no other part of the earth, or its furnishing, is of such 

 importance to man as the forest. Indeed, without the 

 forest, past and present, there would hardly be any 

 tillable soil. But it is also our chief source of building 

 material and of fuel. It is, moreover, the great gar- 

 ment of the earth, protecting and adorning it. 



Nature of the Forest. The forest is much more 

 than a collection of independent trees; it is a great 

 organism, composed of many parts, or elements, each 

 dependent on the others. It has a very complex and 

 varied life, comprising not only trees and shrubs, but 

 also herbs, flowers, mosses, lichens, birds, insects, and 

 higher animals in great variety, all dependent for their 

 very life upon their combination and mutual service, in 

 the great living thing we call the forest. 



Influence of the Forest. The forest exercises a 

 great influence upon the earth and its inhabitants out- 

 side of the forest limits. It is often the source of 

 streams, and controls the water supply of surrounding 

 regions. It breaks the force of winds and tempers the 



