OUR FORESTS 19 



Other edible products of the forest include many kinds of nuts and 

 such fruits as the papaw, the persimmon, and the mulberry. 



FORESTS AND WATER SUPPLY 



In addition to the products they yield, forests render an invalu- 

 able service to man in the protection of watersheds. The thick 

 crowns of the forest trees, which shut the sunlight almost entirely 

 from the forest floor, also break the fall of the rain. When the rain 

 or melted snow reaches the forest floor, it sinks into soft, absorbent 

 soil and some of it gradually finds its way underground and thence 

 to the springs and streams (fig. 12). This tends to make stream flow 

 regular and continuous throughout the year. Where watersheds are 

 not protected by forest cover, rains fall on the unprotected soil and 

 the water rushes down the slopes, with the result that streams may 

 rise quickly to flood height and as quickly dwindle away to nothing. 



Adequate watershed protection insures an abundance of water for 

 use in homes, for irrigation of cultivated lands, and for river navi- 

 gation. It helps to make constant the power which turns the wheels 

 of many a factory and furnishes electric current for numberless 

 uses. It keeps the rains from washing away huge quantities of rich 

 soil, leaving hillsides bare and unproductive and choking river beds 

 and bottom lands with heavy deposits of mud. 



OTHER USES OF THE FOREST 



Forests have still other protective uses. They help to prevent 

 landslides and snowslides; they protect homes, fields, and orchards 

 from cold and destructive winds; and in some parts of our country 

 they give permanent form to sand dunes, which otherwise would be 

 constantly shifting from place to place, sometimes burying fences, 

 roads, and railways. 



Besides serving us in these various ways the forest offers oppor- 

 tunities for pleasure and recreation for both young and old. It is, 

 of course, an ideal camping place; it furnishes playgrounds and 

 shaded resorts for picnics and excursions; its streams and lakes are 

 the delight of the fisherman; and its dusky recesses are the Mecca 

 of the naturalist. The beauty and splendor of the forest, its atmos- 

 phere of peace and quiet, and the glimpses of its wild life have an 

 irresistible appeal for all of us. Just how great this appeal may be 

 is shown by the numbers of recreationists who visit the forests. On 

 the national forests alone this number is estimated to be over 30,000,- 

 000 each year. The visitors include residents, who have established 

 summer homes on the forests, hotel and resort guests, campers, pic- 

 nickers, and transient motorists. For the convenience of visitors, 

 the United States Forest Service has established more than 4,000 

 public camp grounds in the national forests. Some large cities, 

 notably Los Angeles, Oakland, Berkeley, and San Francisco, have 

 built permanent municipal camps on nearby forests where their 

 citizens for a nominal sum may find recreation and rest from the 

 toil of busy lives. 



All that is asked of visitors is that they bring to the forest the care 

 and thoughtfulness they give to their own homes; that in seeking 

 recreation in the forests, whether National, State, or private, they be 

 careful not to abuse the hospitality of the woods. 



