Excerpt from the report Introduction: The forests have been and still are one of the Nation's most important natural resources. Not only do they play a leading part in the economic and industrial life of the Nation today, but they also serve us in many other ways. By checking the rains and melting snows, they help to prevent erosion and floods and to insure a steady flow of water for power and domestic use; they are the source of many products besides lumber; they produce forage for domestic livestock; they are the home of much of our game and wildlife; they furnish innumerable opportunities for recreation; and they make this country a more pleasant and beautiful place in which to live. If we were deprived of forests, we would suffer economically, physically, and esthetically. It is therefore important that we handle our forest wealth so that it may be used to fill our countless needs and at the same time continue as a permanent natural resource.