Evening Republican, Volume 22, Number 164, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 14 July 1919 — Forests Draw Water From Soil, Then Send It Forth Into the Air From Leaves [ARTICLE]

Forests Draw Water From Soil, Then Send It Forth Into the Air From Leaves

“It has been 'estimated that 500 beech trees during a single season of foliage evaporate about 20,000 barrels of water,” said Dr. John M. Coulter, professor of botany at the University of Chicago, in a recent article. “This indicates one of the important missions of the forests, namely, to draw water from the soil and send it forth into the air from the leaves as water vapor. From the foregoing figures one can compute what immense quantities of forest vapor are poured Into the air in thickly wooded districts, keeping it moist and favorable for vegetation. “Another mission of the forests is to conserve rainfall, the soil developed by a forest being wonderfully retentive of water, acting as a huge sponge which absorbs and holds the rainfall and doles it out gradually. This fact is especially realized when forests are removed, for then the rainfall runs off the surface and floods the streams without supplying its full quota of water for vegetation. The devastating floods in China are caused largely by the destruction of their forests and forest planting and conservation is one of the greatest needs of that country. ,