The forest early assumed an equivocal role in human culture. It was prized for the material it yielded and for some of the functions it performed, but it was also regarded as a rival for the space needed for crops and flocks. This two-mindedness about the forest has continued to confuse humanity down to the present day. The book deals in large part with him shelter and heat, comfort and enlightenment, and a goodly amount of food. It tells what most of these materials are and whence they come, and touches upon the immense and varies unsolved problems of how yields may be sustained in the face of ever mounting, ever changing demands.
