MISSISSIPPI: THE SETTING 



13 



Perhaps the greatest of the nontimber services of 

 the forest is in watershed protection — lessening ero- 

 sion, reducing rapid storm runoff and resulting floods, 

 and maintaining high levels of ground water for wells 

 and springs. Recurring fires and severe cutting reduce 

 the watershed value of much of the forest, yet the 

 protective value of what remains is important though 

 incalculable. As an example of what improved water- 

 shed conditions might mean, the U. S. Department 

 of Agriculture estimated that its proposed flood-con- 

 trol program for the Yazoo River watershed — a pro- 

 gram which could be expected to restore much of the 

 watershed-control functions of the forest — would re- 

 duce annual flood and sedimentation damage more 

 than half.^ 



Forest grazing is widespread throughout the State, 

 particularly in south Mississippi, where the forest is 

 open and the forage, mainly perennial grasses, is 



■ U. S. Dept. Agr. survey of the yazoo river water- 

 shed IN MISSISSIPPI. House Doc. 564, 78th Cong., 2d Sess. 

 58 pp., Illus. 1944. 



abundant and fairly tender and nutritious in the 

 spring. Good livestock management might lessen the 

 reliance placed by farmers on the wild forage of the 

 forest, but as livestock management is now practiced 

 with year long range grazing, Mississippi's forest land 

 furnishes perhaps half of the total food consumed by 

 livestock in the State — about three-fourths in south 

 Mississippi and lesser amounts in other parts of the 

 State. The importance of this forage contribution in 

 1948 can be judged from the number of cattle, hogs, 

 sheep, and goats in the State (2.7 million animals) 

 and their value ($124.8 million). 



The forest offers a much sought environment for 

 recreation. Recreational facilities are provided in 10 

 State parks, numerous park areas in the national 

 forests, and the Natchez Trace Parkway. Wildlife, 

 much of it dependent on the forest for its habitat, is 

 at only a fraction of its potential population, yet re- 

 cent numbers of licensed hunters and fishermen ap- 

 proach 180,000 a year. Their expenditures in pursu- 

 ing their sport are estimated at more than $5 million 

 annually. 



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