The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1902-02-12
W00DS0F THE WEST
Government Treatise on the Forest
Reserves. +
PINES OF THE NORTH STAR STATE
Instructive Figures Dug Up Regard
ing the Lewis and Clark Re-
.-.4. serve of Montana.

Building, Washin0ton
Washington, Feb. 1.-THE part Of the
twenty-frst annual report of the United
States geological survey dealing with for
est reserves, edited by Henry Gannett,
geographer, is now passing through the
press. The areas Of all the reserves
amount to 70,647 square miles. and these
(thirty-seven in number) lie in Washing
ton, Oregon, California, Montana, Wyo-
ming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and
Arizona, three of them lying also partly
in Idaho and South Dakota. :
The reserves treated of in this report
are the Lewis and Clark forest reserve,
4,572 square miles, Of Montana; the Mount
Rainier forest reserve, 1855 square miles,
and the Olympic forest reserve, 5000
square miles, of Washington; the Ashland
forest reserve, 2eo square miles,. and the
southern part of the Cascade range forest
reserve, of Oregon; the Lake Tahoe, 213
square miles, and the Stanislaus, 1880
square miles, forest reserves of Califor-
mia. There are included also classified
ton according to timber of lands in the
Yosemite, the Sonora and other quad
rangles; a detailed description by town
ship and range of the woodlands Of Indian
Territory; and discussion of timber con-
ditions of the pine region Of Minnesota.
These reports are of interest to the bot
anist as we'll as to the general public.
Lewis and Clark Reserve.
Lying south and west of the Blackfoot
Indian reservation, east Of Flatheadslake'
and ofthe Flathead Indian reservation, in
Montana, the Lewis and Clark forest re-,
serve, of 4,572 square miles, or 1926, 900
acres, as described by H. B. Ayres, occu-
pies the whole breadth of the Rocky
slope of Mission Ridge, the summit of
when forms the greater part of the west
ern boundary of the reserve, The entire
reserve Is mountainous, having sharp
north and south ranges and narrow val
leys. The principal peaks are over 5000
feet, and the main valleys over 5000 feet
in altitude. The reserve is drained bv
affluents of the Missouri river on the east.
Of the Flathead on the north, and of the
Blackfoot on the south. Limestone. said
to be of good quality for building stone, is
the characteristic rock; igneous rocks
bearing traces of copper occur; cretaceous
rocks form the eastern foothills; tertiary
coal-bearing rocks are found in the lower
portion of the valley Of the South Fork
Of Flathead river, which produce Ignite
coal; quartz is nowhere abundant.
There is no mining within the limits of
the reserve, and very few mineral discov-
cries have been made. Usually the soil
is shallow, and above 5000 feet the sur
face is washed bare Of soil. Except about
ninety square miles along Birch Creek
in the northeastern corner, there is no
st richly agricultural land in the reserve,
and the scattered areas of grass land
amount in all to only about 200 square
miles,.
hut Lightly TImbered.
In general the area is hghtly-stim
bered. less than 1000 feet per acre for
the whole reserve; about 1000 feet per
acre of merchantable timbered forest.
Much land lies far above timber line;
much land has been burned over, ande reI
stocking, in various stages, is going on.
The stand of timber is estimated by Mr..
| Ayres at 2, 664sS6o; 900 feet B. NJ, ofsmer-
charitable qua lily. and 1865, 900 cords Of
hre-Wood. He estimates also that
1 ,17s 600 cords of fire. killed timberis still
standing, and that ,420 square miles,
about one-third of the reserve. has been
recently and severely burned
The forest is, in the main, open, with
little underbrush but much fallen timbar