Trees of the Forest: Their Beauty and Use by Anonymous

Throughout the 182 million acres of the National Forests other important factors are weighed in the balance with the need to produce timber. They may be the reason for heavy cutting, light cutting, or no cutting.

Wildlife, for example, has become increasingly dependent upon the National Forests. Almost everywhere the land available to it has been reduced through the spread of towns, cities, industries, and highways. It is estimated that the native American forest once covered more than 900 million acres, with extensive borders and many open places where grass, plants, and herbs grew and served as food for deer, elk, wild turkey, and other animals and birds. In our modern managed forests, clear cutting and heavy selection cutting make more food available to animals and birds by opening clearings and creating "edges".