Northern Wisconsin advertiser. [volume] (Wabeno, Wis.) 1898-1925, 1903-07-16

Washington, July 11.-With the in
tention of fixing upon a proper forest
policy, California has understaken this
year, with the help of the bureau of
forestry, comprehensive and detailed
study of it's forests. The state legis-
lature recently appropriated $4,000
for the study, the condition being that
it should be carried out by the bureau
of forestry, and that the bureau should
bear half the expense.
The state desires to know those
facts about its forests that will guide
it in passing wise forest laws. 1t de-
sires to know, for instance, what dis
posal should be made of the state for
est lands, what should be done to regu.
late the cutting of timber on them,
how forest firese may best be restrain
ed, whether tree-planting in denuded
areas will pay, etc.
The task of securing all the informal
ton necessary for forest policy for
California the bureau of forestry has
begun this summer, The work is of
such magnitude that several years
will be required to complete it, but
valuable and suggestive results will be
secured each year.
The work has been begun on large
scale Six men are now examining
public lands in the state to determine
what parts of them are suitable for
national forest reserves. and similar
studies will lie made of lands for state
reserves. A study will be made of all
lands owned by the state in order to
determine the uses to which they may
best be put, who should administer
them, and what sort of administration
they should have. A forest map of
California will be made, showing the
location of all forest areas and distin-
gushing between the different kinds
of forest. In connection with the for
est map will be a study of important
| trees in order to learn with exactness
the commercial range of the valuable
species. An investigation will be
made of the effects of numbering on the
| forest in order to determine what
ought to be done to cut-over lands. 1t
| is of great Importance to know what
happens to the land in different parts
of the timbered regions after it is cut
over by the mberman--whether IL
comes up again in timber or whether
/ it becomes waste land.
The effects of fire on the forest.
especially after numbering, and what
may be done by the state TO prevent
| fire are subjects that will take a long
time to work out. In September e. A.
Sterling, Of the bureau. will try to de-
termine what is the cheapest and most
effective method of protecting from
fire land that has been numbered.
The bureau will also make a study of
the chaparral lands of southern Cali
fornia in order to learn whether 1t will
pay to plant them with timber trees.
A very interesting question has been
raised as TO whether chaparral-
which includes great variety of scrub
trees, such as manzanita, scrub oak,
valley mahogany. and scrub cherry
will retain the moisture in the soil as
well as timber trees. Chaparral grows
denser than timber trees, and often
reaches height Of 10 to Is feet and a
diameter Of 16 to IS inches. L. c. Mil
| Ter who has charge of this work, is
now making a study Of the conditions
under which chaparral grows in the
San Gabriel mountains, near Pasadena,
where the bureau has been planting
pines and cedars for several years.
The results of these separate inves-
legations will be gathered together by
William c. Hodge of the bureau, who
has general charge of the California
work, and will be presented to the
state in a formal report.