40 



THE UTILITY OF FORESTS. 



one should suppose that it is possible to do such thing's by sim- 

 ply resolving that they ought to be done. The immediate duty 

 is to make a beginning and to make it in the right way and in 

 the proper direction. Then build upon that beginning as it be- 

 comes possible to do so. Check forest fires first : lessen the pol- 

 lution of streams ; put all new roads on the best grades; and 

 when old ones are changed, put them on proper grades also; 

 make it so dangerous for fish dynamiters and game destroyers 

 to ply their trade that they will migrate. Follow these begin- 

 nings with constructive work : stock streams anew with fish : the 

 forests with game and birds; build roads as circumstances will 

 allow; and take pains to let the outside world know that TTest 

 Virginia is in the scenery and resort business. 



"If the time shall come when immense storage reservoirs 

 occupy a number of the elevated valleys among the mountains 

 of West Virginia they will constitute an important factor in the 

 development of the state's scenic resources. They will add 

 more than almost anything else can add to the enjo^mient of 

 persons who visit the mountains, as well as to the people who 

 live there. To all intents and purposes they will be high moun- 

 tain lakes, suited to sail, launch, and canoe. They will cover 

 hundreds, and in some cases, perhaps thousands of acres, and 

 abound in fish and fowl. The reservoirs are not ye": ■: "il', of 

 course. They may not be built for a long time ; but it is reason- 

 ably safe to count on them as one of the most attractive fea- 

 tures of our mountain scenery in years to come." 



The Forest in Its Relation to Climate. 



Just what the influence of forests is upon climate has not 

 been fully worked out. To a certain extent, however, there 

 need be no tests made with theremometers. barometers, and 

 other instruments, to convince us that trees and forests have at 

 least a local effect in modif;^'ing climatic conditions. All who 

 have worked on hot, sunny days in open fields, or traveled 

 .sunny roads know the luxury of shade and that the heat of the 

 sun's rays is broken by trees, without being told or having it 

 proven to them by scientific tests. 



