buildings, fuel wood, posts, poles, and other forest products 
for various farm operations. Much of his produce is shipped 
in wooden, or paper (made from wood) containers. The 
conditions of the forests on the hills may affect his 
water supply. Irrigation—the lifeblood of agriculture in 
the West—is largely dependent upon forest-protected 
watersheds. 
15. What interest has the average citizen in forests? 
Whether he lives in the backwoods or in a crowded city, 
regardless of occupation or activity, every citizen is concerned 
with the welfare of the forests. He may be inclined to take 
most things for granted—his newspaper, his easy chair, the 
water that flows from his kitchen faucet—without stopping 
to think that they come from the forest. Forests provide the 
raw materials for countless products essential to modern 
living. Most American homes are built of wood; all have 
some wood in their construction. Furniture, books, maga- 
zines, radio cabinets, baseball bats, rolling pins, turpentine 
for paints, and rosin for soaps are products of the forests. 
Plastics, rayon, sausage casings, and photographic film are 
some of the newer products made from wood. Forest prod- 
ucts pay the third largest freight bill, and the railroad lines 
are laid on wooden ties. More than 10,000 products of 
wood have been listed, and wood enters in some degree into 
the manufacture, processing, or delivery of practically all 
other products. During the war, the Army said, wood was 
required for some 1,200 different items of military equip- 
ment. Modern technology is constantly developing new 
uses for wood, and the prospects are that our needs for 
timber will increase in the future. 
_- Well-managed forests on the watersheds can conserve 
water supplies, help to reduce floods, and regulate stream 
flow. Forests are the home of much of our wildlife; they 
provide scenic beauty and afford recreational opportunities 
for millions. 
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