The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-09-03
GOVERNMENT is
TO PLANT TREES
Project Will Be Recommended fol
Salt Lake Forest Reserves.
TO IMPROVE WATER SUPPLY
MAXIMUM FLOW OF STREAMS
MADE LATER IN YEAR.

| A forestry project important TO sail
Lake valley and TO Salt Lake City par
ticularly, in view of her recent acquisi-
| ton of water rights in Big Cottonwood
! is to be recommended to the United
| States department of agriculture this
| winter in a report to be filed by Wal
ter b. Hadley and ]. NJ. Fetherof of the
| forestry service. Messrs. Hadley and
Fetherof are now stopping at the Cul-
! len hotel. the former having arrived
yesterday and Mr.. Fetherof joining
him this morning.
They have been making a careful
study of the Salt Lake forest reserve
for the government during the entire
summer and viii not complete their
/ labors until snow begins TO fly. Their
special mission has been to study the
best means of Temedying the timber
| sparcity on the lower western slopes
about Parley's, Mill Creek and Big and
Little Cottonwood. AS a result of their
Investigations, Mr. Hadley states that
they will recommend the carrying out
of planting plans" such as the gov
eminent has successfully tried in other
parts of the country, notably Califor-
mia. These plans would call for the
planting of hundreds of young trees on
the now denuded slopes.
The result of this, il was stated by
Mr.. Hadley yesterday would be to con-
serve millions of gallons of water for
Big Cottonwood, as well as for the 9TH
er creeks about which the fOrestrymen
have been working.
Retard Maximum Flow.
Should the government decide to
carry out the planting plans for Salt
Lake forest reserve" said Mr. Hadley
at the Cullen last evening. salt Lake
City, by reason of its rights on Big
Cottonwood, would be greatly benefited
The planting of trees would conserve
the water and would retard the maxi
mum flow of the creek for at least a
month. That is, instead of millions
of gallons flowing TO waste every day
as they do now during May. the period
of maximum flow could be retarded
until the latter part of June. The flow
would be more uniform and when the
water was needed in the summer it
would be there. The trees would be-
gin TO conserve the water soon after
planting as they are two or three years
of age when put in the ground"
Previous to touching on the benefits
which the planting plans" would bring
to Salt Lake City, Mr.. Hadley explained
the nature of the preliminary work
which has been going on. He stated
that at present the only slopes in the
reserve which are not denuded of tim
Der are high and practically inacces-
sible. There is scarcely an accessible
western slope in the entire $50 square
miles of reserve which has not been al
most entirely robbed of its trees. A
careful record has been kept OF con-
ditions encountered on the various
slopes ranging from those where COM
plete denudation had taken place to
those where a virgin growth was still
to be found. Points in the reserve vary
ing in altitude from 1900 to 10000 feet
have been visited.
Would Plant Spruce.
AS a result of their Investigations
Mr.. Hadley says he believes the plant
ing of Douglas spruce commonly
known as Oregon pine, would be ad-
Visable. Not only would these trees
grow well and conserve the water, but
they are of greater commercial value
than any others of their species. He
also stated that the Colorado blue
spruce and the Englemann could be
grown to advantage.
The government has already planted
trees in San Gabriel and Santa Bar
bara reserves, Cal, Pixies Peak Black
Hills and Mia BareTO, the latter re-
serve being on the Dismal river. Colo.
"Of course our work has only been
OF preliminary nature" said Mr.. Had
ley. we have been Investigating only
with view of finding what might be
done and what it were best to do. How
ever, there is no doubt in my mind
either as to the feasibility of planting
in Salt Lake reserve or that the govern
ment will decide in favor of the pro-
ject."
Messrs. Hadley and Fetherof expect
to meet Clifford PinchOt, chief fores-
ter in Salt Lake this week