Forests and What They Give Us 



517 



trunks that might be useful are left to rot where they fall, and 

 much good material is wasted in the sawmill. 



Fire. Fire due to man's carelessness causes the destruction 

 of many forest trees annually. Sometimes a camper in the forest 

 in the dry season of the year thoughtlessly throws away a burning 

 match or a cigar, forgetting how easily dry Jeaves and twigs 

 ignite. So many fires were caused by sparks from the engines of 

 passing trains in the Adirondack forest preserve that New York 

 state passed a law requiring locomotives to use oil instead of coal 



New York State Conservation Commission. 



WHAT REMAINS AFTER A FOREST FIRE 



while going through this section. In addition to these preventable 

 fires, many woods fires are caused by lightning. Fires in the 

 forest not only destroy the trees, but often attack the forest 

 floor and burn the humus, in this way injuring the soil, destroy- 

 ing the germinating seeds and so preventing the growth of new 

 trees. 



Insects. Insects are the source of much damage to forests, 

 especially in localities where the insect-eating birds have been 

 killed or driven away by sportsmen. Insects injure trees by eating 



