A STUDY OF OUR FORESTS. 55 



the world, and by careful presei'vation we have enough to meet the 

 needs of our growing population. But if the destruction continues 

 at the present rate, even this generation may feel deeply the result 

 of the waste. 



THE VALUE OF OUR FORESTS. 



Few people ever think of a forest as a place to store water. AVho 

 would think that " the woods " hold water as well as a mill pond 

 or a reservoir! But they do, although we can not see the water 

 they hold except, perhaps, as a pool here and there ; and that is one 

 of the most important functions that a forest can perform. 



All of us have noticed in walking through the woods how soft and 

 spring}^ the ground is. A thick carpet of leaves, twigs, and decayed 

 wood covers the earth, sometimes to a depth of several feet. It is 

 very porous, and it absorbs water like a sponge. When storms come 

 and rain falls in torrents, it does not beat directly upon the gTOund 

 under the trees because the raindrops first strike the leaves and 

 branches above. The water then trickles gently down and soaks into 

 the leafy carpet. If the forest is extensive a very large quantitj' of 

 water is absorbed — enough to prevent floods except in extraordinarily 

 long periods of rain. Gradually through the weeks and months that 

 follow the p.bsorbed water oozes out of low places as "springs," and 

 it dashes merrily away in little brooks that combine to form creeks 

 and rivers, which flow peacefully and steadily to the sea. 



If there are no trees, no leaves to break the beating of the rain, 

 and no spongy mold to hold the water when it falls, no matted roots 

 to prevent washing, the big raindrops spatter upon the earth and 

 quickly form rushing streams that wash the ground into gulleys. 

 The bare earth absorbs some water to be sure, but far less than the 

 humus of the forest. If the rains are continued the rivers are soon 

 filled beyond the capacity of their banks and they spread over the 

 neighboring valleys, carrying devastation with them. After the 

 heavy rains cease, the flood waters subside as suddenly as they had 

 arisen and the streams dwindle to insignificance, sometimes com- 

 pletely drying up in a long, hot summer. 



Thus it is that forests act as great reservoirs and aid in preventing 

 disastrous floods and in maintaining the flow of streams at a rate 

 that is nearly uniform all the year round. 



Now let us see what use is made of the trees. The gTcatest of all 

 is for firewood ; but this is largely the decaying or faulty trees from 

 the farmer's woodlot, the waste product of a lumber region, or from 



