FIG-. 52. Clear cutting 1 is often followed by erosion. There is no natural 

 reseeding- here, because no seed trees were left for that purpose. Hundreds of 

 thousands of such non-reproducing' forest land acres are added to the National 



debit each year. 



It is highly probable that well over 50 percent of the possible photo- 

 sj^nthesis has ceased on such lands, and is greatly reduced on three- 

 fourths of the range. Even where photosynthesis approaches that of 

 the virgin climax, it is, on many ranges, today being channeled through 

 species inferior for livestock feeding. The same statements generally 

 hold true for the nation's farm pastures and meadows, considered as 

 a whole. (Fig. 53) 



Wildlife Decline: The wildlife of this country has been subject to 

 increasing pressure ever since the first settlement was founded. Con- 

 sidering the figures and statements given above, there can be no ques- 

 tion that on such injured lands and in such polluted waters the wild 

 animal population cannpt approach what it once was. Commercial 

 hunters in the past have made phenomenal kills of game. It would 

 be very rare for a hunter today to encounter a situation where such 

 kills would be possible, even if the law allowed it. The hauls of com- 

 mercial fishermen have been fairly well tabulated for many decades. 

 Many preferred fish such as the Atlantic salmon, the shad, the lake 

 herring, have almost disappeared from the nets. There are several 

 reasons, the most basic being the destruction of plant food and shelter. 



Some Principles of Conservation. Maintaining the conditions of 

 climax on damaged areas must, of course, await restoration of climax 

 conditions. Assuming that we can restore them in time, and even sur- 

 pass Nature in some instances, by the application of money, effort, 

 and scientific knowledge, how can these desirable conditions then be 

 maintained ? There are five principles which must be applied. 



98 



