Nature Bulletin No. 551-A   January 25, 1975
Forest Preserve District of Cook County
George W. Dunne, President
Roland F. Eisenbeis, Supt. of Conservation

****:WOODLANDS FOR PLEASURE

The Forest Preserve District of Cook County was created and is 
managed for the education, pleasure and recreation of the people. After 
approval by public referendum. The Board of Forest Preserve 
Commissioners was authorized by law to acquire native forests and 
other lands which must be preserved or restored and protected in their 
natural condition as nearly as possible The preserves now total more 
than 64,000 acres.

The management of woodlands so as to maintain them in a natural 
condition for the pleasure and recreation of the public is called 
recreational forestry. In several fundamental respects it is much 
different from commercial forestry which regards a woodland as a 
source of forest products such as lumber as a tree factory from which, if 
it is properly managed, a crop of saw logs may be cut and harvested 
periodically.

A commercial forest is managed in somewhat the same way as a farmer 
manages his fields of corn, wheat and oats. Some species of trees, 
because they have little or no value for lumber, are called "weed trees" 
and in a commercial forest these are removed to make room for 
desirable kinds such as oaks, hickories, maples, pines and firs. Trees 
with short or crooked trunks and widespreading branches called "wolf 
trees" because they take up too much room and make too much shade 
are also removed. And in a commercial forest, when a valuable tree 
matures and has reached a certain size, it is cut and the logs are hauled 
to market.

In a natural woodland for recreational use, no native species is removed 
because it is too old, too crooked or leaning, too stunted or too 
widespread. Trees of this sort lend character and richness to the 
landscape and interest people. To the recreational forester, no native 
tree or shrub is worthless. He does not always remove a mass of grape 
vines because it is choking and may kill a tree.

Most dead or hollow trees are permitted to stand because they furnish 
homes for birds such as woodpeckers, chickadees, owls and wood 
ducks, as well as for animals such as squirrels, raccoons and possums. 
When a tree falls it is allowed to lie and rot, furnishing food and homes 
for a vast variety of lower animals. As these live and die, the tree 
decays and together they return precious foods to the woodland soil. 
Furthermore, people expect to see dead and fallen trees scattered about 
in a natural forest. Death and decay, as well as reproduction and 
growth, are natural processes constantly at work.

Thus, the recreational forester regards a woodland as a community, 
complete in itself, where each and every species of plant and animal, 
living or dead, contributes to the growth, stability and beauty of the 
whole. He believes in letting Nature alone, and patiently permits her to 
solve her own problems and work out her own complex system of 
checks and balances. He protects the woodland against fires, against 
grazing livestock, and against damage by automobiles or misuse. 
Otherwise, unless it is seriously attacked by insect pests or some 
disease, his policy is "Hands Off."

Natural woodlands, such as we have in our forest preserves, appeal to 
people. They may enjoy the scenic beauty, the play of sunlight and 
shadows, the myriad kinds of plants and animals, the combination of 
small sounds and odors, or just the solitude to be found there. Each 
visitor can gratify his own interests and find his own enjoyment. He 
returns to his job and the hurly-burly of city life feeling rested and 
refreshed. He has been re-created. Those intangibles are what people 
harvest from woodlands managed for their pleasure.