Oxford Democrat. [volume] (Paris, Me.) 1833-1933, 1902-12-16

! OUR /
! N v E.
! TREES |
8 80. By. !
I THOMAS H. MACBRlDE. Pm. D..;j
J Professor of Botdnp, Iotcd State ]
University.
VI.-Forests and Man.

VI.-Forests and Man.
VUST what the forests Of the world
stand for, what they signify IN
~ the general economy Of the lands
" of earth, has long been dis
puted problem. OF course'w we all know
something of the economic value OF for
est products-we can all at least use
wood as fuel-but that the forest plays
also its part in the great economies, in
the equilibrium of natures delicate ad-
iustments, we less appreciate. Indeed
it is very hard for even the wisest to
understand what the equilibrium of ma
tire is. We know not exactly how II
has been brought about and too often
discover its existence only by the catas-
trophe which follows close upon some
i'll advised bit Of interference. Never
thcless the problem Of the forest Is an
earth problem second in Importance 10
none other with which as Intelligent
men we have to DEAL more difficult IN
deed than most because ut once physl-
illogical and physical. Forests consul
tute great physical masses on the sur
| face of the earth, and at the same time
they gre made up Of living Plants
which as such affect the elements about
them. There are those who contend
that the very climate Of the earth is
| modified by the presence of trees eX-
haIing moisture, conditioning atmos'
nheric heat, the distribution OF cleo
tric currents, the chemical constitution
of the air and soil, but our Information
in these particulars is less trustworthy
and we shall perhaps for the present
keep within the limits Of actual knoWi-
edge il we assert that trees associated
in forest affect more or less profouna'
| " local conditions Of climate and al
mospheric change, whatever may De
+ruo of their wider and more farreach'
ing influence
The climate Of the locality occupied
by the forest or Immediately contlgu-
Gus to it is affected by the organic ac-
tyity of the trees. but we do not know
! how or how much. The climatic a-
feet of the forest as purely physical
object, physical covering OF the
earth's surface, we can better estimate
and understand. For instance, Gil
mate is largely n matter Of tempera'
ture and moisture. Now. the presence
of trees cegSlinly greatly retards air
currents. but air currents are the usuai
efficient agents Of evaporation and fall-
ing temperature. 1t might seem lncred-
ibIe that forests of trees hundred feet
high or more should avail to check the
movements of the great ocean OF at
mosnhere above our heads, but we all
know that ii is fact. Men and beasts
are wont to take shelter behind Il
grove. In fact. in the deep woods the
air may be perfectly quiet, there
may be great calm. while the
storm wind roars and rides high above
the treetops. In such case the atmos-
phere is OF heat an almost perfect non
conductor. Caught amid the trunks
and branches of the forest, 1t is COM
parable to the air entangled in the
meshes of u coat of fur. almost imper-
yious TO heat or cold This is the ex-
PLANTATION of the western w.ndbreak. A
simple grove Of trees makes the prairie
habitable. Even the willow and the
cottonwood and the despised box elder
may bid defiance 10 the blizzard. On
wider scale groves and forests Of
greater extent may affect in different
ways their immediate surroundings.
There are scores Of instances where
the telling Of the forest has changed
entirely the climatic conditions Of the
locality, sometimes to such an extent
as to modify the whole industry Of the
region. Such are the stories of the or
ange orchards and olive yards Of south.
ern France and northern Italy. where
the path Of the mistral seems to vary
as the forests wax and wane. Many
years ago Mr.. Lapham published pa
per on the transactions Of the Wis
consin Agricultural Society,"" in which
he showed that the wholesale destruc-
tor Of the forests of Wisconsin had al
ready modified the climate of many To-
calitics in so far us concerned the rails
ing of fruit.
But, whatever may be the effect of
the presence Of woodland in matters
Of heat and cold, it is in relation to the
second climatic factor, to moisture, that
the forest is most positive and far
reaching in influence and efficiency.
Forests are great conservators Of mois-
ture-this, too, in purely mechanical
way. In summer they greatly retard
evaporation, first, by checking the air
currents. as we have seen, which would
otherwise carry the moisture away,
and second, by their shadows shutting
out the solar heat, which would other
wise speedily dry up, dissipate, any
moisture that might have fallen. Trees.
it is true in the process Of transpira-
ton take from the soil and give off to
the surrounding air an immense
amount of water, though probably
nothing like so much as has been sup
posed. Nevertheless in forest the
loss of water due to the life processes
of the trees does not compare with the
results CT evaporation In the unpro-
tected open. Every one must have no
ttced that woodland roads are muddy
very muddy, long after the highway
that passes the open field has become
perfectly dry. Indeed, road supervisors
often make this an excuse for Telling
shade trees planted by generous land
owners along the public way. Trees
are cut down to make the road dry. So
much for what happens in summer. In
winter the same conditions are efficient
to retain precipitation in the form OF
snow. The snow Of the woodland is
permitted neither to blow away nor to
evaporate. The extent to which q
coniferous forest, with it's dense, per.