Daily Yellowstone journal., 1886-08-19
SOUTHWESTERN pine TIMBER.
T, ,.ber Area of New Mexico and ArizoIs
The Sierra Madr.', Turr,ts.

T, ,.ber Area Of New Mexico and Arilohs
The Sierra Madrs's Forests
In a general way it can b. ,ittel thai
the genus Pinus tapers toward ia" snith,
whereas the Picea comes uptruln Mexico
and runs out in Arizona. OF the former
p. Murrayana and ponderosn are most
esteemed rs building lumber. Z. edulis
(the "Pinon") is hardly good for any
thing but iirewood and small beams
For posts. the red cedar and the jumpers
u. occidentalis and Californica) are
profitably used. While smaller comifers
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 timber area
to what is called "Tierra amarilla' yel-
low land or soiD, and the plateau of the
Zuni range, between Fort Winsate and
Nutria, bears a fine growth Of stately
trees. Many canons are well stocked,
but, on the whole, denuded and treeless
expanses vastly predominate.
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, thuruy shrub
berry, composed of species which, under
favorable circumstances, also assume
aboreal proportions, like tho melpuite
(Prosopis iuliilora) the palo-yer.e or
green wood (Parkinsonia TorrryaGa) the
red madrono (ArbutUs Nalapvnsisl: but
conifers are scarce, except ia Isolated and
not very steep chains, like the Sierra
Huachua and the Sierra Santa-ltita,
south of Tucson. Both are very high,
the latter eliminating at ID. jOD feet. IL
is well-knOwn fact that the timber
line of Arizona in latitude ~ 10 81 de-
grees north is several hundred feet
lower than that of Colorado in latitude
3S To 80 degrees, but these are local con
ditions. Under the parallels of 81 to 3e
degrees, in Colorado also, the timber
line is, ON an average. 1000 feet below
that of only one degree further north,
600 feet below the uppermost tree-llInit
of the Arizonian White mountains. and
LOO feet lower than ON the SJA Fran
cisco range.
No part of our southwestern territories
has amy thing that equals in magnitude
the vast area, covered with cunlfcrnus
forests, of the Sierra M;uire of Chihuahua
and of Sonora. The Sierra Madrc be-
gins in latitude 30 degrees A minutes
(about), and as its slopes ascend. the
| growth Of timber thickens and becomes
more stately. The interior of the CLAIM
is, as far as latitude 80 degrees, vast
elevated basin, thickly studded with
pines, among which varieties OF Picea
are prominent. Ii is well watered, de-
| hghtfully cool in summer, not too cold
in winter. Game abounds. for along the
water-courses grows luyuriant grass.
But the region is inaccessible Us yet, for
SO long as Apache outbreaks occur, SO
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 it
must come from the east, as the western
entrances are few, tortuolIs and often
barred by nearly unscalable heights
| New York Post.