SHADE TREES AND FORESTS 495 



it was a youth of 1500 summers. Thousands of the trees 

 now standing in the Sequoia National Park were growing 

 during the time of Caesar. Hundreds were flourishing while 

 Babylon was in its prime. Several are older than the Pyra- 

 mids of Egypt. Four thousand rings were counted on one 

 prostrate tree. This tree probably sprouted while the tower 

 of Babel was still standing. It was a large tree, two thou- 

 sand years old, when David was born. It is believed by the 

 best authorities that some of the trees now standing are five 

 thousand years old. It is difficult to conceive that a single 

 individual has lived that long. 



State forests. The state governments are also beginning 

 to set aside forests. Thirty states have a forestry depart- 

 ment and twenty have trained foresters in charge of their 

 work. These states have one hundred and forty-two forests 

 with an area of three and a half million acres. New York 

 State leads with 1,600,000 acres; then comes Pennsylvania 

 with nearly a million; Wisconsin with 400,000; Michigan 

 with 231 ,000 and other states with smaller forests. Fourteen 

 states have set aside forests. 



Some towns are beginning to set aside municipal forests. 

 There are at the present time ninety-seven municipal 

 forests situated in thirteen states. More than half of these, 

 fifty-six, are situated in Massachusetts. 



United States Forest Service. In connection with the 

 development of the system of national forests, there has 

 grown up as a part of the government, the United States 

 Forest Service, a part of the Department of Agriculture, 

 whose chief duty is to look after the protection and use of 

 the national forests. Some of the work of the service is 

 done in Washington and some in the national forests. 



The direct care of the forest is intrusted to the ranger. 

 His most important duty is to protect the district in his 

 charge against fires. During certain seasons he patrols his 

 district by means of trails and bridges for the purpose 



