they fought back the wilderness. They and their children's
children have worked so effectively that the original wealth of
woodlands has been depleted. At present, cleared fields and
cutover areas abound in regions that at one time were covered
with magnificent stands of timber.

In many sections of the country our forests are now so reduced
that they are of little commercial importance. However, these
areas are not yet entirely denuded. Predictions have been made
frequently that our woodlands would soon disappear. Scientific
foresters report that such statements are incorrect. There are
only a few districts in the country which probably will never
again support much tree growth. Their denuded condition is due
largely to the destruction of the neighboring mountain forests
and to the activities of erosion. Under ordinary conditions,
natural reforestation will maintain a satisfactory tree growth on
lands where a practical system of forest protection is practiced.
The complete removal of the forest is now accomplished only in
fertile farming regions, where the agricultural value of the
land is too high to permit it to remain longer in forest cover.
Even in the Mississippi Valley and the Great Lakes belts there
are still large areas of forest land. Most of the farms have
woodlots which provide fuel, fencing, and some lumber. For the
most part, these farm woodlots are abused. They have not been
managed correctly. Fortunately, a change for the better is now
evident. The farm woodlot owners are coming to appreciate the
importance of protecting the trees for future use. In some cases,
they are even replanting areas that have been cut over. There are
large tracts of sandy, rocky and swampy land in these districts
that are satisfactory for tree production. In fact, about all