The Plant and Animal Life

Farther west from the prairies the vegetation map looks quite mixed. Forests cover the slopes where mountains catch enough rain. A few grassy meadows lie in the high mountain valleys. On the dry lowland and on high tablelands dry bushes grow, as well as grass common to arid regions.

The greatest wonder of all are the forests of sequoia and fir trees on the northwest coast, where the mountains catch the heavy Pacific rain. Numerous national parks are to be found in different parts of the United States of America.

Washington, Oregon and northern California are the leading sources of sawmill timber in the United States. The coastal margins of Alaska, too, are mild enough for large coniferous trees. But much of the interior and the north, especially those parts away from the river valleys, are covered only with sparsely distributed, stunted trees or tundra.

In the eastern United States the dominant trees are hardwoods, but valuable pine forests are found in the Upper Lakes region and in parts of the Gulf-Atlantic plain.

Over a quarter of the country is still under forest, which ranges from the mangroves and swamp-forests of Florida to the huge firs and redwoods of the Pacific States, and from hickory, walnut, and oak of the east-central states to the pines of Minnesota and the Rocky Mountains.

Today wildlife is fairly unimportant as a natural resource, except for certain fur-bearing animals and fish.

In the zone of mixed forests the brown bear, the lynx, the wolf are to be found. The forest is the home of the Virginia deer, the black bear, the grey fox, the raccoon, and the opossum. In small numbers bison are found (in reserves only). The alligator has its home in the south-east of the country. For deserts and semi-deserts various rodents and reptiles are characteristic, while the tundra and taiga animals are typical of Alaska. Fur-bearing animals today are found in some of the forested mountains and in the swampy districts of both the North and the South. The chief fur-bearing animals left in the United States are musk-rats, skunks and raccoons. Valuable fur seals inhabit the waters.

Fish caught off the Atlantic, Pacific, and the Gulf coasts of the United States are an important natural resource. Fishing also provides an important industry on the Great Lakes. The coastal waters of New England have excellent fishing grounds, where cod, herring and mackerel abound. The Pacific coastal waters of Alaska are rich in salmon. As in many countries, fishing in the United States is not only a commercial undertaking, but is also a popular sport. In summer many tourists in various parts of the country try their luck in river and lake.

Дата добавления: 2015-11-30