Fergus County argus., 1902-02-19
FOREST RESERVES.
Interesting Report From the U. S.
Geological Survey.

Seologlcdi survey
The part of the twenty-frst annual
report of the United States Geological
Survey dealing with forest reserves,
edited by Mr.. Henry Cannett, geo.
grapher, is now passing through the
press, though not yet published. The
areas of all the reserves amount to
70,647 square miles. and those thirty.
seven in number) lie in Washington,
Oregon, California, Montana, Wyom.
ing, Utah, Colorado. New Mexico and
Arizona, and three of them lying also
partly in Idaho and South Dakota.
Lying south and west of the Black.
foot Indian reservation. east of Flat.
head lake and of the Flathead Indian
reservation. in Montana, the Lewis
and Clarke forest reserve. of 4,572
square miles. or 2,926.000 acres, as
described by Mr.. II. b. Ayres occu.
pies the whole breadth of the Rocky
mountains, excepting the northwest
crn slope of Mission Ridge, the sum.
NIT of which forms the greater part
OF the western boundary OF the re.
serve. The entire reserve is noun.
famous, having sharp north and south
ranges and narrow valleys. The prin-
cipal peaks are over 5000 feet, and
the main valleys over 1900 feet in al
titude. The reserve is drained by af-
fluents of the Missouri river on the
east, of the Flathead on the north and
of the Blackfoot on the south Lime
stone. said to be of good quality for
building stone. is the characteristic
rock; igneous rocks bearing traces OF
copper occur; cretaceous rocks from
the eastern foothills; tertiary coal
bearing rocks are found in the lower
portion of the valley of the south fork
OF the Flathead river, which produce
Ignite coal: quartz is nowhere abun.
dant. There is no mining within the
limits of the reserve, and very few
mineral discoveries have been made
Usually the soil is shallow, and above
G.000 feet the surface is washed bare
OF soil. Except about ninety square
miles along Birch creek in the north
eastern corner. there is no strictly ag
ricultural land in the reserve, and the
scattered areas of grass land amour,
in all to only about 200 square miles
In general the area is lightly tim
bered, less than 1000 feet per aero
for the whole reserve; about 1900
feet per acre of merchantable timber
ed forest Much land lies far above
timber line; much land has been burn
ed over. and restocking, in various
stages, is going on. The stand ol
timber is estimated by Mr.. Ayres a,
1864 ,360,O00 feet. b. NJ. of merchant
able quality. and 11.569,0O0 cords o.
fire wood. He estimates also that /,
17S,000 cords of fire-killed timber Il
still standing, and that 1,420 squar,
miles, about one-third of the reserve
has been recently and severely burn
ed. The forest is, in the main, open
with little underbrush but much faller
timber. Nearly one-half of the timbe
is larch. one-fourth red fir. and one
fourth yellow pine. spruce. lodgepol,
pine and western white pine. Sever,
burns are commonly followed by ;
growth of lodgepole pine. During tn,
summer OF 1899 three small lumbe
mills were operating within the re
serve. NJ. Ayres emphasized the nee,
for proper management and cuttin,
OF the forest. He also notes the abun
dance OF trout in the streams and tn,
presence of large game in the cente
OF the reserve. Thirty-one plates Il
lustrate the various aspects Of the re
serve.