Almost every boy, especially if he lives in a rural environment in the temperate zone, has dreams of a life in the Great North Woods. In popular literature the picture of the North Woods, or the taiga, is that presented by the hunting stories, adventure yarns, or tourist promotion advertisements - a land teeming with moose, caribou, and grizzlies, a place where the misfit human being can make a quick fortune trapping mink, marten, white fox, or other valuable fur.
Nothing could be further from the truth. The taiga is, in fact, quite poor in terms of meat production per acre. Not only is it poor, but the ability of the plants and animals to withstand exploitation is very low...