-3- 



A scries of destructive fir^s in the forest of an upland watershed 

 may cmd often does cause a Dig increase in the run-off ^ later. That 

 often increr^seb tho flood r/a.ter^ raises the flood crest, puts the flood 

 over the top of the oojlk in the d-istajit valley and causes a \Tash-out or 

 puts far::is and homes -ujider r-ater; 



Under ordinary conditions forest soils absorh from twenty to fifty 

 per cent of light or moderate rains. Hvon in a stOady i'ain, the leo„f mulch 

 keeps feeding; the Y;ater undergrcund. Of co^arsc, in long, hard rshns so 

 much water mey fall, that the forest litter can't a.osor"b any morei But 

 even so, it has already reduced the run-off and keeps on holding hack the 

 surfa.ce water on its way to the stream "bed', 



Fires, however, arc not the only thing v.hich cause damage by 

 destroying forest litter, Foresters at the Central States Fore?;t Hxperiment 

 St option fotmd that the litter was twice as deep on ungrazcd parts of a. 

 beech forest as on parts that had been pastured. The more gra^zing of stock 

 in the forest the less the litter v/as worth in checking flood v/aters. Over- 

 grazing on forest slopes often bares the soil. The bare soil sheds more 

 Y/ater than the litter-covcred soil* ^'ith the litter no longer there to 

 soak up the v/atcr, the ra^n beats do'.ai, vrashing av;ay soil particles. The 

 muddy ;;ater seals the surface pores, and increases the r-'jji-off and so the 

 v;earing, cutting po'.rer of the v;atcr, Tliat rcsv.lts in gully-'. .'ashing aiid 

 other forms of erosion which rob the soil of food. 



So you sec the litter on the forest floor plays an important -oart 

 outside the forest as v;ell a.s in. I/iuch of the protecting, flood-controlling 

 litter is leaves. That puts a new face on the Fall. From that viov.point, 

 fall days are no longer the "Saddest of the Year." 



AITITOUITCZIMIIITT ; Svery other Friday Station presents these 



results of visits with Uncle Sam's -^"^^aturalists , in the United States 

 DepaJ-tment of Agriculture. Remember the day and hour when our 'Jilds 

 I.ian v:ill be back. 



m 



