lOREST REGIONS OF THE UNITED STATES 315 



of the trees themselves are added to the organic covering, and 

 new trees take their place. 



The Forest Regions of the United States. — The total forest 

 area of the United States to-day is less than 470,000,000 acres. 

 More than 80,000,000 acres have been burned or cut, so that to-day 

 they are waste land. We have more waste forest land than the 

 combined forest areas of western Europe. Our present forests are 

 rapidly decreasing, due to the demands of an increasing population, 

 a woeful neglect on the part of the owners of the land, and waste- 

 fulness on the part of cutters and users alike. 



The different kinds of forest in the United States. 



A glance at the above map shows the distribution of our forests ; 

 but it must be remembered that most of the land fit for farming 

 has been cleared. Washington ranks first in the production of 

 lumber. Here the great Douglas fir, one of the '' evergreens " 

 or coniferous trees, forms the chief source of supply. In the South- 

 ern states, especially Louisiana and Mississippi, yellow pine and 

 cj^ress are the trees most lumbered. In what other Southern 

 states are there coniferous forests ? In what Northern states are 

 such forests found? The supply of hardwoods comes from the 

 deciduous and mixed forests. 



