OUR FORESTS 35 
thrifty, larger trees that produce high-grade and_ high-priced 
forest products. 
Since every woodland cannot be managed to the best advantage in 
the same way, the owner will do well to consult a forester as to what 
his woods will best produce and how they should be handled. He 
may obtain information of this sort from his local county agricul- 
tural agent, State extension forester, or from his State forester. 
Most of the woodlands found on farms are of natural growth, but 
in the prairie regions where there was little native growth the farm 
woodlands have been planted. These plantations usually take the 
form of field or farmstead windbreaks which, besides being a source 
of timber products, protect crops and farm buildings from the winds 
that have a clear sweep across the flat country. Windbreaks also 
give protection from extremes of heat and cold, conserve the water 
from rains and melting snow, and tend to prevent the quick drying 
and subsequent blowing of soils. By checking the movement of the 
topsoil, they help to prevent dust storms. It is said that 40 acres of 
trees planted in narrow strips crosswise from the direction of pre- 
vailing winds will protect 600 acres of farm land. 
Confident of the benficial effects of tree planting in the Plains 
region, the Forest Service is carrying on the Prairie States Forestry 
Project. The Service cooperates with farmers in the establishment 
of field and farmstead windbreaks on their farms, the farmer fur- 
nishing the land and fencing materials and the Forest Service sup- 
plying planting stock, planting the trees, and building the required 
fences. The work is begun only after a Forest Service officer has 
looked over the proposed site, and has made a favorable report on 
location, condition of soil, etc. Late figures show that plantings 
under the Prairie States Forestry Project have been made on ap- 
proximately 20,000 farms in North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, 
Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas. 
The species selected for planting in the Prairie States Forestry 
Project are, for the most part, those which have become adjusted 
to the climate and soils of the Western Great Plains region through 
many generations. The planting stock is grown in Government- 
owned nurseries or others leased for that purpose. Since 1935, a 
total of 127 million trees and shrubs have been planted in 11,000 
miles of field windbreaks. Some strips planted in 1935 are already 
large enough to yield several hundred posts per mile as thinnings, 
without injuring the value of the windbreaks in tempering the 
winds. The Forest Service believes that trees will lessen the disas- 
trous effects of drought in the Plains region, and in short, make that 
part of the country a better place in which to live. 
The headquarters of the Director of the Prairie States Forestry 
Project is at Lincoln, Neb. 
COMMERCIAL FORESTRY 
Commercial or industrial forestry is the business of growing timber 
as a crop to supply industrial needs. In the past, few of the private 
concerns which had extensive forest holdings did more than exploit 
their mature timber; and gave little heed to the permanent pro- 
