18 THE SOUTHERN APPALACHIAN FORESTS. 



and widespread erosion, by which thousands of acres are now gullied and as 

 worthless as the "bad lands" of the West. 



THE FOREST. 



The original forest of this region, as indicated by the preserved remnants and 

 by the accounts of the old settlers and earl}' explorers, was wonderful in the 

 extent, density, size, and quality of its timber trees, and the variety of their 

 species. 



INJURY TO THE FOREST. 



The three agencies that have wrought changes in the forests of the Southern 

 Appalachians are fires, lumbering, and clearing of lands for farming. 



FOREST FIRES. 



More than 78,000 acres of the region examined have recently been so severely 

 burned as to kill the greater portion of the timber, but greater damage has been 

 done by light fires creeping through the woods year after year, scorching the 

 butts and roots of timber trees, destroying seedlings and forage plants, consuming 

 forest litter and humus, and reducing the thatch of leaves which breaks the force 

 of the rain. Evidence of such tires is found over approximately 4,600,000 acres, 

 or 80 per cent of the entire area. 



The effect of forest fires is seldom appreciated, especiall}^ in this region, 

 where so few timber trees are killed. The killing of mature timber trees is, in 

 fact, the least serious evil, as for each mature tree killed a dozen saplings would 

 spring up if the fires did not affect the saplings much more than the large, thick- 

 barked trees. In fact, where spring fires are habitual seedlings can not grow, as 

 they are killed when very small. Under such conditions a forest can not repro- 

 duce itself. The timber trees die out and are replaced by brush that sprouts 

 from the roots. 



The destruction of the earth cover not only facilitates erosion, but also 

 prevents water from penetrating and being stored in the earth. The roots of 

 trees penetrate deeply into the subsoil, and as they decay leave a network of 

 underground water channels. The mulch of forest leaves encourages numerous 

 ground-boring worms and beetles that keep the soil of an unburned forest 

 porous. If the soil is porous, water is absorbed, and its capillary rise to the 

 surface and loss by evaporation are prevented. The mosses and humus of a 

 well-conditioned forest form wet blankets, often a foot thick, the function of 

 which is apparent. 



The dissipation of the chemical elements of plant food into the atmosphere 

 by fire and the rapid leaching away of the slight residue contained in the ashes 

 is another injurious effect of the forest fires. 



