LESSON XLIII 

 FORESTRY 



Forests. - - The forest lands of the United States 

 consist of many small woodlots on farms, and extensive 

 forests owned by lumber companies or by the states 

 or the national government. Most of the large forest 

 areas to-day are located in the Appalachian, Rocky, 

 Cascade, and Sierra Nevada mountains, and in the 

 Great Lakes region and the coastal plain of the southern 

 states. The farm woodlots are remnants of the former 

 forest or are new forests set out by the farmers. 



Windbreaks. On the prairies small groves are 

 planted on the windward side of farm buildings for 

 protection against the cold winds of winter and the 

 destructive winds of summer. These groves also give 

 shade and beauty to the homesteads. Narrow belts 

 of trees are planted also along the windward side of 

 farms to protect the crops against wind. Sometimes 

 groves are planted on the prairies with rapid-growing 

 trees to furnish a supply of fuel, poles, and posts. The 

 hardy catalpa has been most extensively planted for 

 this purpose. 



Effect on water supply. Forests on mountain slopes 

 prevent the rapid flow of surface water in times of 

 heavy rainfall, by holding much of the rain in the spongy 



194 



