348 THE CONIFERS (GYMNOSPERMS) — FORESTS 
of forests prevents the soil from being washed away, which 
results in two disadvantages, (1) the loss of the richest 
part of the soil itself, and (2) the stopping up of channels 
which might be used for transportation. Water thus held 
back by the porous soil of forests keeps rivers and lakes at 
a usable level during the whole season instead of having 
most of the water run off in a flood or freshet during the rainy 
season, causing destruction as well as wasting the water. 
Besides, forests, by acting as wind-breaks, often make a 
locality much more comfortable to live in, and some persons 
go so far as to say that the presence of a forest positively 
affects climate favorably, making a locality cooler in summer 
and warmer in winter. It is now well agreed that at least 
one fifth of the territory of a country should be wooded in 
order not only to have lumber enough to use, but also to 
secure the other benefits arising from forests, some of which 
are more important than the direct products of the forests 
themselves. 
297. Extent of Original (Virgin) Forest. — When the settlers 
came to America, the forest on the eastern coast extended 
for about a thousand miles inland from the Atlantic, reaching 
to the treeless prairies of the middle section. On the west¬ 
ern coast was a belt even wider extending from the prairies 
across the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean. 
The forests of the United States now cover about 550,000,- 
000 acres, or more than one fifth of the total area. 
“ Generally speaking, countries having over twenty per 
cent of woodlands have forest resources sufficient to supply 
their lumber industries and their firewood consumption, 
provided that such area is properly stocked and conserved.” 
— Schenck, Forest Policy, page 71. 
298. Attitude of the Early Settlers towards Forests. — 
The first care of the settlers was to provide shelter from wild 
beasts and from the hostile Indians, and their second care 
was to secure a supply of food to last over the winter. To 
