The hospitable forest serves man well. It protects, sustains and actually improves mankind’s supplies of available water. The floor of the forest soaks up water like a sponge, protecting the soil from erosion and filtering clear water into lakes and streams, in which fish, otter, ducks and other creatures live and play. The forest floor also feeds the underground reservoirs with water for future use.

In addition, trees purify man’s air. Within tiny leaf cells light from the sun combines with carbon dioxide taken from the air to form a simple sugar, later converted into other carbohydrates, including the cellulose of the wood itself. Trees also return to the atmosphere oxygen, which man breathes. That is one reason why air smells better in the forest, and why forests are vital to life on earth.

Engineers estimate that it contains 600,000 board feet of lumber, enough to build fifty, six-room houses! In the trunk alone there is enough lumber to fill 280 freight cars.

From forests come trees that shelter homes, shade city streets and lend dignity to parks. Trees add grandeur and glory to the land. They furnish food and protective cover to wildlife, shade and firewood to campers and timber to a nation. Out of trees now come hundreds of products​—from paper to lacquers and from turpentine to quinine.

Forest Hospitality

Both man and wildlife are often drawn to the forest because of its hospitality. Trees provide shelter from the heat of the day and a covering from the exposure of the night. The forest is home for birds, insects and larger animals, such as deer, bear and bobcat. Orioles make nests that look like long pouches dangling from the branches of trees. Woodpeckers dig holes in the trunks of dead trees and make their homes inside. Trees are also homes for squirrels and other animals.