Introduction
Before the arrival of Europeans, forests covered the eastern United States. It was said that a squirrel could travel from the Atlantic shore to the Mississippi River without ever touching the ground. Forested land has now been reduced to tiny fragments. The majority of our native plants and animals are adapted to life in forested ecosystems, Our forests vary from back dune holly forests along the sea shore, to moist coastal-plain forests on rich, deep soil; to dry, rocky upland oak woods. Our forests perform vital services for us. These services include carbon dioxide (CO2) uptake, oxygen (O2) production, uptake of pollutant gases, cooling through transpiration of water, soil formation, waste treatment, noise abatement, wind speed control, erosion control, storm water storage, filtration, and runoff control (i.e. flood control), nutrient cycling, habitat for plants and wildlife, and genetic resources. Forests provide habitat for plant pollinators and seed dispersers, and […]