Relation of Forest: Research t:o the Soil Erosion Problems of the South

Abstract

<p>The queries of a curious and uninformed public as to what constitutes forestry are becoming increasingly difficult to answer. Perhaps no two foresters could exactly agree on which of the divergent lines of professional endeavor the emphasis should be placed. The events of the past decade, however, are indicating the truly wide-reaching relations which the forestry profession bears to the lives and welfare of the public. The water problems in many of the arid western states are typical of these more recent developments. Increased water needs resulting from agricultural and industrial expansion, coupled with a cycle of dry years, are lending undreamed importance to the water yields of mountain watersheds. Few men of a generation ago could have visioned a time when a chaparral-covered canyon could compete in economic favor with the timbered slopes of a logging chance. As a result of such developments, it is not surprising that the more indirect influences of forests and forestry practice on public needs are looming large on the forester's horizon.</p>