39^ Roosevelt Wild Life Bulletin 



RELATION OF BIRDS TO FORESTS 



" The total damage to trees by insect pests is enormous, and several years 

 ago was estimated to exceed $110,000,000 annually. Not only is the damage 

 extremely large, but the difficulties of directly combating insect pests in 

 forests are so great that man is able to do comparatively little. The services 

 of natural enemies of the destructive insects should therefore be highly 

 appreciated. If they serve to reduce the damage by only a small percentage, 

 the gain to the country- is a very large sum. Among these enemies, birds are 

 conspicuous. Their services are well known and have long been acknowledged. 

 No reasons have thus far developed for considering any other group of the 

 natural enemies of forest insects in general, more important than birds." 



W. L. McAtee, 

 American Forestry, 

 Vol. 21, pp. 681-682 ; 1915. 



"Birds are not only essential to the welfare of the tree, but the tree is 

 necessary to the life of the bird. Consequently, there has been established 

 what is termed 'a balance of life' wherein there is the most delicate adjust- 

 ment between the tree, the insect, the bird and the sum total of the condi- 

 tions which go to make up their environment. * * * Birds are of value 

 to the forest, however, not only as the destroyers of their insect foes, but 

 the birds with the squirrels, help plant the forest by distributing seeds. The 

 seeds which are encased in a pulpy covering, those of the berry or fruk- 

 bearing trees, are voided unharmed by the birds often at a point far distant 

 from the parent tree, the bird thus acting as their distributor. Acorns, 

 beech-nuts, and chestnuts are frequently dropped or hidden by birds, and the 

 seeds of pines are released and scattered by the birds that seek them in their 

 cones. In short, we believe it can be clearly demonstrated that if we should 

 lose our birds we should also lose our forests." 



Frank M. Chapman, 

 Seventh Report, N. Y. Forest, Fish and Game 

 Commission, pp. 117, 120; 1901 



