-3- 



than the growth. There may "be a net loss. To 1-mow what really 

 happens, and how to keep the balance if need be, some parts of oior 

 forests must he left -untouched. 



TTe said these wild areas r.iay help the foresters get at the roots 

 of many puzzling problems in tree grov/th. In fact, as Mr. I'unnB points 

 out, timber growing problems not only extend to the litter on the 

 forest floor, but do\vn through the litter to the roots of the trees 

 and the soil ajound the roots and the millions of tiny bacteria and 

 fungi which inhabit the soil. 



In many cases, he says, it may be that in reforestation of some 

 species of trees we will have to inoculate the soil with certain growth-- 

 promot ing fungi in much the same way fanners in many sections have to 

 inoculate their soils with certain nitrogen-fixing bacteria in order to 

 grow clover and alfalfa. 



Something of that sort has already been done in the case of 

 trees in a section of Australia where trees apparently would not grow. 

 That is, the trees would not grow, until one grov/er tried bringing 

 litter from a forested section and spreading it on the soil v/here the 

 new stock was planted. Then the trees began to flourish. The scientists 

 claim this remarkable change was probably brought about by one of the 

 many sorts of tiny fungi found by millions in the forest litter. They 

 have not yet identified the exact soil inhabitant which did the v/ork, 



■Anyway that illustrates how delicate the balaxice of nature in 

 the forest may be, and how important it is to have some areas left in 

 their primitive condition. Such primitive areas are now only found 

 within our ITational Forests and in some of our national Parks. Some 

 of those primitive areas are being set aside for study in forest growing. 

 Others are being set aside as living museums into '.vhich no motor roads 

 will run, but where the trackless forests can be seen as the IndiaJi 

 and the early pioneer first sav/ them, 



:te :i< * 3k * * 4) 



AiriTOUlTCSIgllT ; Every other Friday Station presents 



these visits with Uncle Sam's ^^^aturalists , in the United States 

 De-partment of Agricult^ore, Hemember the day and hour v.'hen our 

 Wilds Ivlan v/ill be back with us. 



m 



