47 



CHAPTER III. 



SUMMARY OF CONCLUSIONS. 



The various ways in which forests exercise an influence in 

 the economy of man and of nature may be summarised as 

 follows : — 



(1.) Forests supply timber, fuel and other forest produce 

 (valued at £'200,000,000 in Europe alone). 



(2.) They offer a convenient opportunity for the investment 

 of capital and for enterprise. 



(3.) They produce a demand for labour in their management 

 and working', as well as in a variety of industries which 

 depend on forests for their raw^ material. 



(4.) Tliey reduce the temperature of the air and soil to a 

 moderate extent and render the climate more equable. 



(5.) They increase the relative humidity of the air and tend 

 to reduce evaporation. 



(6.) They tend to increase the precipitation of moisture. 



(7.) They help to regulate the water supply, produce a more 

 sustained feeding of springs, tend to reduce violent floods and 

 render the flow of water in rivers more continuous. 



(8.) They assist in preventing erosion, land slips, avalanches, 

 the silting up of rivers and low lands and arrest shifting 

 sands. 



(9.) They reduce the velocity of air currents, protect adjoin- 

 ing fields against cold or dry winds and aftbrd shelter to cattle, 

 game and useful birds. 



(10.) They assist in the production of oxygen and ozone. 



(11.) They may under certain conditions improve the 

 healthiness of a country. 



(12.) Finally, they increase the artistic beauty of a country 

 and thus exercise a beneficial influence upon man. 



