PLANTS FROM AN ECONOMIC STANDPOINT 337 



Uses of Wood. The forests of the United States 

 have an area of approximately 1,000,000 square miles, 

 but we are rapidly decreasing this area by cutting the 

 trees for the use of their wood. Millions of dollars worth of 

 timber in the United States have been wasted by careless 

 owners and wasteful methods of lumbering, and we are 

 just beginning to take an interest in a reasonable preser- 

 vation of our forests (Figure 298). In the southern states 



Forest Service, Washington, D. C. 



FIG. 299. A Forestry Map. 



are vast forests of yellow pine and cypress. In Michigan, 

 Wisconsin, Minnesota, and the northern states of New 

 England are forests of pine and spruce. In the Appala- 

 chian region are forests of hardwood, including oak, chest- 

 nut, beech, and maple. On the Pacific slope are forests of 

 pine, Douglas fir, spruce, and redwood (Figure 299). 



In many countries of Europe the forests are a national 

 care, and the cutting of trees is prohibited except under 

 certain restrictions. Each year our own government 



