Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-07-29
PLAN TO INCREASE FOREST AREAS
Wosk Being Carried on in Twenty
States to Devise Plans for the Elk
tension of Forests on the Treeless
Plains of the West.

pSteocii3
ing l65 men. The work includes,
among other things, the gathering of
the necessary data for several working
plans, a study of a number OF we'll
known commercial trees, the examina-
tion of farm wood lots. and study of
the treeless areas with view of de-
vising plans for forest extension.
The Bureau of Forestry begins the
new fiscal year of 1923 with an APP
preparation of 1921 $50. The amount
for the year just ended was $1S5,44O.
This increased appropriation shows
how this work commends itself to
congress, and it makes prossible
much wider range of work. The
present seasons work is by far the
most varied and interesting yet I'M
dertaken by the Bureau of Forestry,
and is being carried on in Maine, New
Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts,
New York, New Jersey, Maryland,
tennessee, Kentucky, West Virginia,
North Carolina, Michigan, Minnesota,
Nebraska Oklahoma, South Dakota,
Montana, Arizona and California. La
ter in theseason it will be extended to
still other states and territories.
Working Plans.
The field work necessary for work
ing plan for the tract of the Great Nor
thern Paper Co. which was begun last
field season is being continued now
and will be finished this year. 1t is
being carried on by two fully equipped
parties, each consisting of fifteen men.
A working plan is being made for the
tract of hardwoods of the Linville I'm
provement Co., lying around Grand
father Mountain in western North Car
Iolina. The bureau is also making a
careful study of the forest resources
of Otsego county, New York, with the
purpose of drawing up simple and di
rect manual Of instructions for the
management Of the private forest lands
in that county. The expense of the
field work is being borne wholly by
Mrs. Alfred Corning Clark, who is
greatly interested in forestry, and de-
sirous that the forests of the country
shall be treated in a practical manner.
Through the cooperation of Mr.
Ring, forest commissioner of Maine, a
study has been undertaken of the for
est conditions of that state. This is to
include an investigation Of the behav-
ior of the spruce after numbering, in
order to draw up simple and practical
| rules for fastening the production of
the second crop upon numbered land.
1t entails also careful study of the
fire problem and of the best means of
fighting fire in this region. This inves-
tigation further includes considera-
ton of local log scales.
Much attention will be given during
the present season to the examination
of wood lots, in the management Of
which the assistance of the bureau has
| been requested. Two skilled men will
! be detailed for this work, and it is the
intention of the bureau that its agents
shall visit the woodlots for which APP
! plications have been made.
Study of Commercial Trees.
One of the most important and in
/ teresting undertakings by the bureau
of forestry during the present field
4 season is careful study of num-
Der of the most valuable American
commercial trees This will include
/ among others a study of the Adiron-
dack balsam, in Franklin county, New
York. Incident to the work of the
bureau in connection with the Chippe.
wa Indian reservation in Minnesota a
careful study of the red pine is in
progress.
A study of the rate of growth of the
i sugar pine in California, which was be.
gun last season, is now being contin.
1 ued. Last years work in the north.
ern part of the state and in southern
| Oregon, and this season the examina.
ton will be continued southwark with
the idea of covering the full CONNER.
cial range of this important timber
tree.
The southern hardwoods will be
studied in Kentucky, North Carolina
and West Virginia This work will
Ibe mainly devoted to a consideration OF
the oaks and the yellow poplar, the
idea being to study them in their com.
mercial ranges, along with other
trees which occur in mixture with
them
Forest Extension.
On July 1 the division of forest ex
tension was established in the bureau
OF forestry to take charge of the
work heretofore done by the section
of tree planting The work of the
new division will be to devise plans
for increasing the forest area where
it is deficient This it will do by the
encouragement of planting where that
is necessary to secure stand of trees
and by improving the conditions fol
natural seeding over areas where the
present forest stand is insufficient.
Several parties are now in the field
in connection with this work. In the
middle west a large number of lane
owners have made application for as
sistance in establishing woodlots ant
other forest plantations, and the work
of examining these farms and prepar
ing plans for them is now under way
On the forest reserves recently es
tablished in the sand hills of Nebraska
by President Roosevelt's proclama
ton, preparations for extensive plant
ings are being carried forward as rap
idly as possible. The necessary build
ings will be erected, seed beds ant
nurseries will be prepared, and larg,
quantity of seed collected in prepare
ton for planting next Spring.
A field party of seven men is making
a forest survey Of Oklahoma, includin,
a special study of forest condition.
Io,, the Wichito fnract ,.aearuo m ~,