MAINTAINING THE CLIMAX 101 



which are poorly understood and which render short cycle forecasting 

 unreliable. One thing we are sure of ; the available records and human 

 memory confirm it: notable fluctuations do occur. 



A case in point is the Great Plains. The drought of the 1930 's 

 drove over 160,000 suffering, bankrupt people out of the dustbowls. 

 In the 1940 's many farmers in these same areas harvested bumper 

 crops. The rains came again. The question is: are the short-term 

 benefits an equitable payment for the human misery, the economic dis- 

 tress, and the land damage of the dustbowls? 



Under the natural climax vegetation of the plains, blowing is ef- 

 fectively controlled in large degree (but not entirely on the western 

 edge). Nature provides means of maintaining reserves of moisture- 

 holding humus, soil-holding roots, wind-retarding stems and leaves. 

 These reserves enable the natural vegetation of the plains to survive 

 the inevitable and recurring droughts. 



In nature, fertility loss has never been a problem to a going com- 

 munity. Plants on the whole never exhaust their environment if 

 spared the ministrations of man. They maintain reserves against all 

 but cataclysmic changes. Even fire must be severe and probably wind 

 driven to destroy completely a forest climax. Prairie fires seldom 

 if ever wipe out the climax. Moisture reserves not only aid in pro- 

 tecting perennial roots, but some deep moisture may remain after the 

 fire, to speed their recovery. These statements do not detract from 

 the damage done by fire, especially from man's viewpoint, but do em- 

 phasize that destruction of a climax involves a very real violence. Sel- 

 dom, under natural conditions, do floods or insect plagues succeed 

 in doing more than minor damage as far as the climax is concerned. 



Man, in his management of the land and its life must be conserva- 

 tive. Reserves against the unfavorable extremes of climate are re- 

 quired for a relatively stable and secure existence. Venture and 

 chance-taking are not ruled out unless losing the gamble with nature 

 will result in long term damage out of proportion to the possible win- 

 nings. The odds must be considered and not from the individual's 

 standpoint, but from that of society. The plains farmer who can salt 

 away $50,000 in three or four favorable years can retire, but if be- 

 fore he quits, he ruins a thousand acres of land for decades to come 

 he has committed a crime against nature and his fellowmen. 



The principle of reserves applies to many facets of landscape man- 

 agement. It is a principle well known to businessmen, industrialists, 

 and investors. Safety demands conservative use of funds, the main- 

 tenance of reserves for emergencies. The management of biologic in- 

 vestments requires equal conservatism. For instance, some animals 

 must have reserves of number, as in the case of the bobwhite quail. 



In areas where severe weather strikes for even a few days, quail 

 may die off by whole coveys. The quail is a gregarious bird. Its life 

 pattern includes the covey for a good reason. In severe weather the 

 covey packs itself into a tight circle. The conservation of body heat 

 by this tactic often means survival. If the group is too small, for any 



