UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE 
MISCELLANEOUS PUBLICATION No. 303 
Washington, D. C. June 1938 
NATIVE WOODY PLANTS OF THE UNITED 
STATES, THEIR EROSION-CONTROL 
AND WILDLIFE VALUES 
By WiuutaAmM R. Van Dersat, biologist, Division of Conservation Operations, Soil 
Conservation Service 
CONTENTS 
Page Page 
TET O GUI CTI OMS sae ee SOL cet Mant tI 1| Plant-growth regions—Continued. 
The relation of vegetation to soil conservation_ 2 Length of the growing season________--____-- 20 
Evaluation of plants for erosion control and SNOWeACOVeLss ses eu al We Sec ey 20 
NVR G DUG eh a aE ay al le aa on aa GI 4 Climates of growth regions_____________--_- 21 
Planting for soil and wildlife conservation____ 5 | Nitrogen-fixing bacteria_____.._.______________ 27 
Blantineforswaldlite ss. see ae 6 | Explanation of the list____.___________________- 28 
Lahilyahy joe vaunbovys fet se ORE 7 CO PC ee AB a ee ST OA ANN dn 28 
Plants of objectionable characteristics___-_____ 8 Latin names and synonyms-_-_-______--_-_--- 28 
LO OVMO WR) Oey AS = ee 9 Vernacular names of plants_________-_______ 29 
AISOTESSIVGHDIAN LSE ae 2s ree ee Ee 9 TREN aed y= ila Ten focal Nea alae Ne ee aS aS Rp a 30 
Plants harboring fungi or insect pests_____- 10 SITE esis a TOMS eee sae ee eee 30 
Selection of species for planting_________-______ 11 Growth bhalbits see eee ee OS NREL 31 
IE TIM ATV ASTICCCSS1O Mier a es on ee 11 SUAS oC lin ese ee ING CE ss SS eS 31 
Secondary succession and pioneer species___ 12 BRODASAE TOME aes SUN Say MN AAPOR as 32 
Native versus introduced species__________- 13 Utilization by wildlife_2__..___._..________- 34 
EUG ONO Ci CULO Te re ey eae TAN MEISH Of wOOdyAp lam tSels sueiee eae nea eae 35 
The correlation of soils and plant growth__- TUG ICTS OW Keys etsy a) alee ee a ei ese Rae ea ad 293 
Development of the plant-growth region map_ 16 Mimeographed and unpublished refer- 
Plant-growth regions____________________-____ 17 CTU ES Sevan aves a NN RN MET  CLAT I SIGH 2 321 
Factors in plant distribution______________- 17 | List of common names of woody plants._____ 322 
Thornthwaite’s climatic provinces__________ 19 
INTRODUCTION 
At no time has the need for conservation of our natural resources 
been as apparent as it is at present. We have seen the wasteful de- 
struction of our most basic resource, the soil, take place at an ever- 
increasing rate within a comparatively short span of years. The 
original vegetation of the country has in large part been removed, 
and as a consequence of this, not only has soil become increasingly 
subject to erosion, but wildlife, being dependent on vegetation for 
existence, has also become severely depleted. 
The same forces that cause soil losses have destroyed wildlife habi- 
tats. ‘The removal of the vegetative cover has permitted washing 
away of topsoil, and this in turn has prevented the return of vegeta- 
tion and the consequent restoration of wildlife. It is only natural, 
therefore, that revegetation should be relied upon to conserve soil, 
and since the same vegetation can be made to provide more wildlife 
habitats, 1t is possible to conserve two resources with one operation. 
It becomes apparent that soil conservation, if properly managed, 
can mean wildlife conservation. 
1 
