exploitation of our forests, however, probably reached its peak dur- 

 ing the last 30 years of the nineteenth century, when the country's 

 greatest source of softwood timber was the extensive white pine 

 forests of the Lake States. In fact, it has been said that the forests 

 of the Lake States made possible the opening up and rapid develop- 

 ment of the great West. 



Although the forests of the North have contributed largely to the 

 rapid development of our Nation, it has been the great pineries of 

 the Southern States that have complemented the extraordinary in- 

 dustrial expansión of the last 35 or 40 years. Considerable cutting 

 was done in parts of this región during the early years of American 

 history, and after the Civil War the lumber industry developed on 

 a fairly large scale on the southeastern coast. The southern lumber- 

 ing industry did not reach foremost importance, however, until the 

 decline of the industry in the Lake States late in the nineteenth cen- 

 tury. At that time southern pine became the leading lumber-pro- 

 ducing species in the United States and has held this position ever 

 since. Nevertheless, these magnificent forests have passed their peak 

 of production. Much of the timber used today comes from the 

 Pacific coast. The forests of this región, together with such new 

 growth as will develop in the South and other parts of the country 

 under forest protection, are those that will meet the timber needs 

 of the next century. 



The forests of today are still one of the Nation's most important 

 natural resources. Not only do they play a leading part in the 

 economic and industrial life of the Nation but they serve us in many 

 other ways. By checking the rains and melting snows, they help 

 to prevent erosión and floods and insure a steady flow of water for 

 power and domestic use; they are the source of many products be- 

 sides lumber; they are the home of much of our game and wild- 

 life; they furnish innumerable opportunities for recreation; and 

 last, but not least, they make this country a pleasanter and more 

 beautiful place in which to live. If we were to be totally deprived 

 of forests, we would suífer economically, physically, and esthetically. 

 It is therefore important that we know how to handle our forest 

 wealth so that it may be used to fíll our countless needs and at the 

 same time continué a permanent natural resource. This can be done 

 only by learning the ways of trees and forests, what forestry is, 

 and what the practice of it means to the American people. 



WHAT THE FOREST IS 



The Forest Community 



A forest is far more than a mere group of trees. It is a highly 

 organized community of plants and animáis living in cióse associa- 

 tion and in varying degrees of interdependence. The law of life 

 in the forest is the survival of the fittest, and the competition for 

 existence is keen. The forest itself is beautiful and useful, and has 

 played a vital part in the development of the human race. 



How a Tree Lives 



Trees are woody plants, growing from the ground usually with a 

 single stem. They are the largest members of the plant world, rang- 



