tion behind dams and sedimentation in navigable 

 streams. 



The recreation industry, founded largely on the 

 scenic attractions of forests and waters, is a big busi- 

 ness in Tennessee. Recreation values are difficult to 

 measure, but a few statistics indicate the size of the 

 industry. Fifteen State parks draw more than 

 700,000 visitors a year. A million visitors were at- 

 tracted by the Cherokee National Forest in 1949, 

 and an even larger total (1% million) by the Great 

 Smoky Mountains National Park. More than $38 

 million has been invested in recreational facilities on 

 TVA lakes and shores alone. In all, tourists in Ten- 

 nessee numbered about 9 million in 1948 and spent 

 an estimated $160 million in the State (5). 



Not only scenic attractions, but the abundance of 

 wildlife depends heavily on the maintenance of the 

 forest areas. Some 250,000 sportsmen buy licenses 

 annually for hunting and fishing. In pursuing their 

 sport, they spend some $30 million a year and 

 annually take 5 million pounds of game and 10 million 

 pounds of fish (3). Furs and skins shipped from the 

 State are worth a few million dollars annually (7). 



The forest is also a source of forage for farm ani- 

 mals. Improved livestock management, as well as 

 good forest management, would reduce considerably 

 the dependence of farmers upon woodland forage, 

 but under current grazing practices, Tennessee's 

 forest land provides a significant portion of the total 

 food consumed by livestock in the State. 



Figure 1 1 . — Much of the headwaters area of the Tennessee River and its tributaries is heavily forested. {TVA photo.) 

 Tennessee's Timber Economy 



333612-55 3 



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