CHAPTER III 



THE UTILITY OF FORESTS. 



The utility of forests from every standpoint has become so 

 apparent to almost everybody, their useful products and their 

 beneficial influence have become so familiar, that the whole mat- 

 ter might almost be passed without comment so far as imparting 

 information to the reading public is concerned. It is possible, 

 however, that some persons, even in this day, may not have con- 

 sidered just how many indispensable things and how many 

 luxuries must be credited as coming, either directly or indirectly, 

 from this source. 



Forests are maintained, in general, for two purposes, 

 namely, for their products and for their influence. That is, they 

 have a direct value in that they supply wood and many minor 

 commercial products and furnish lucrative employment to men ; 

 and they have an indirect value in that they protect water» 

 courses and soils, influence climate, improve the health and the 

 ethics of the people, etc. Under the two main heads here sug- 

 gested are grouped a number of facts regarding forest resources 

 and forest influences. 



THE DIRECT VALUE OF FORESTS. 



Wood a Necessity. 



It is said that civilization is inconceivable without an 

 abundance of wood. Whether this statement is absolutely true 

 or not, it is near enough the truth to be extremely interesting, 

 particularly in a day when all the evidence points to a near-at- 

 hand timber shortage. The subject of a timber famine is usually 

 dismissed by the unthinking person with the remark that when 

 the timber is gone we can use something in its place. It is true 

 that substitutes for wood are being used in many cases, but it 

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