Southern standard. (McMinnville, Tenn.) 1879-current, 1886-09-04
SOUTHWESTERN PINE TIMBER.
Timber Area of New Mexico and Arizona
The Sierra Madre,s Forests.

Timber Area of New Mexico and Arizona
The Sierra Madre's Forests.
In general way it can be stated that
the genus Pinus tapers toward the south,
whereas the Picea comes up from Mexico
and runs out in Arizona. OF the former,
P. Murrayana and ponderosa are most
esteemed as building lumber, P. edulis
1.-THE "PinonO is hardly good for any
thing but firewood and small beams.
For posts, the red cedar and the jumpers
u. occidentalis and Californica) are
profitably used. While smaller conifers
extend into the plain, the Pinon grows
on extensive mesas or table mountains
also, as well as on lower slopes; the
stately yellow pine covers crests and the
higher declivities and lines mountain
torrents in deep ravines. Dense forests
are not common. Northern New Mexico
enjoys rather widespread 3kmber area
to what is called "Tierra amarillo" yel-
low land or soiD, and the plateau of the
Zuni range, between Fort Wingate and
Nutria, bears q fine growth of stately
trees. Many canons are well stocked,
but, on the whole, denuded and treeless
expanses vastly predominant.
Arizona exhibits similar proportions.
The pine regions around the Sierra
Blanca are everywhere bounded by
naked ranges, basins and plateaux, and
so are the San Francisco mountains.
Towards the south all chains become
more arid, and therefore, in appearance
at least, abrupt and forbidding. There
is, in place of lofty trees, thorny shrub
berry, composed of species which, under
favorable circumstances, also assume
aboreal proportions, like the mezquite
Prosopis julihora) the palo-verde or
green wood Parkinsonia Torreyana) the
red madropo (Arbutus Xalapensis); but
conifers are scarce, except in isolated and
not very steep chains, like the Sierra
Huachua and the Sierra Santa Rita,
south of Tucson. Both are very high,
the latter eliminating at 10000 feet. 1t
is a well-known fact that the timber
line of Arizona in latitude 80 to 81 de-
grees north is several hundred feet
lower than that of Colorado in latitude
80 to 80 degrees, but these are local con
ditions. Under the parallels of 81 to SS
degrees, in Colorado also, the timber
line is, on an average, 1000 feet below
that of only one degfee further north,
600 feet below the uppermost tree-limit
of the Arizonian White mountains, and
LOO feet lower than on the San Fran
cisco range.
No part of our southwestern territories
has any thing that equals in magnitude
the vast area, covered with coniferous
forests, of the Sierra Madre of Chihuahua
and of Sonora. The Sierra Madre be-
gins in latitude 30 degrees 45 minutes
about, and as its slopes ascend, the
growth of timber thickens and becomes
more stately. The interior of the chain
is, as far as latitude 80 degrees, vast
elevated basin, thickly studded with
pines, among which varieties of Picea
are prominent. 1t is we'll watered, de-
lightfully cool in summer, not too cold
in winter. Game abounds, for along the
water-courses grows luxuriant grass,
But the region is inaccessible as yet, fol
SO long as Apache outbreaks occur, SC
long will the savage make this his strong
hold, his place of refuge. The greatest
wealth of the basin, aside from mines
(many of which are yet problematicaD
consists in its timber. Approach to il
must come from the east, as the western
entrances are few, tortuous and otter
barred by nearly unscalable heights
New York Post