WORK OF THE UNITED STATES FOREST SERVICE 29 



forests after fire, changes in the growth and quality of forests after 

 recurrent fires, and many other related problems are being studied. 



FOREST INFLUENCES 



Closely coordinated with the research in forest and range manage- 

 ment are investigations in forest influences. This research has for 

 its purpose the determination of the effect that forests, brush, and 

 other natural cover have upon water, soil, and climate. Studies are 

 under way at a number of the forest experiment stations to determine 

 these relationships and especially to work out the extent to which 



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F— 273505 



Figure 21. — Thinning lodgepole pine stand, Medicine Bow National Forest, Wyo. 



the natural vegetation may be supplemented by minor engineering 

 works and whether or not cutting of timber, grazing of livestock, and 

 other uses of the forest and range cover affect adversely the water 

 flow. 



One major concern is the influence of forests on floods. Under the 

 Flood Control Act the Forest Service has a very important part in 

 the program of the Department of Agriculture in determining the 

 measures which should be taken on the watersheds in order to provide 

 for the control of water on the land. Foresters believe that if water 

 can be controlled at the place where the rain falls, or the snow melts, 

 such control will have a marked bearing upon other flood-control 

 operations in the major waterways. 



FOREST PRODUCTS 



Research in forest products is designed to increase the value of the 

 forest crop through improvements in wood utilization, the develop- 

 ment of new uses for wood, and the utilization of waste and of tree 



