280 THE ESSENTIALS OF AGRICULTURE 



or indirectly upon the products of the forests for some of their 

 necessary supplies. There is no article, except foodstuffs and 

 textiles, that is of greater importance to the welfare of civili- 

 zation than wood* and its products. Notwithstanding the fact 

 that we are to-day using more steel and concrete in the in- 

 dustries than ever before, each year finds an increased demand 

 for wood. In the United States we are using the timber 

 three times as fast as it is being grown, our use of wood per 

 capita being more than that of any other people. Under 



FIG. 134. The farm wood lot 



Such a wood lot adds both beauty and utility to the farm. (Photograph from 

 United States Forest Service) 



proper management, however, our forest lands are capable of 

 producing all the timber that we shall need in the future. 



361. Forests of the United States. The forests of the United 

 States cover an area of about 859,375 square miles (or about 

 one third of the total area), divided into five forest regions 

 known by their geographic locations. 



362. The Northern forest region. This region originally con- 

 tained the highest grade of timber that has ever been cut. It 

 was the home of the white pine, which established the repu- 

 tation of the United States throughout the world as a forest 

 region. The trees of the Northern forest are white pine, red 

 pine, jack pine, spruce, fir, tamarack, birch, maple, beech, ash, 

 chestnut, and hemlock. 



