Las Vegas daily optic. [volume] (Las Vegas, N.M.) 1880-1908, 1905-12-27
Solution OF
Forestry Problems

The field work Of the forest service
In the preparation of working plans
for timber tracts belonging To private
owners has covered during the year
just past a total area Of 1889 900 acres
distributed among seven states lying
In four forest regions.
One Of these working plans was for
Q tract Of 10000 acres In Logan coun.
ty. West Virginia This county Is just
developing al q coal.mining region.
and the lands examined are underlaid
with coal deposits which are now
being worked. The forest IL made up
hardwoods from which the more valu.
able trees have been largely culled.
An . result Of this the inferior species.
such as beech. have increased their
numeric, proportion In the forest, and
now threaten to predominant. Two dis.
tinct types Of forest are found. The
mixed hardwoods type occupies the
lower lands and the better soils. Here
yellow poplar, white oak. beech, bass
wood. ash and chestnut are the princi.
pal species. On the higher lands ana
covering the poorer soils 10 found the
chestnut oak type with chestnut oak,
chestnut, red and black oaks, and hick.
DRY rs the chief species. Owing to
careless numbering. repeated ground
fires, and on lower lands, to over.graz.
Ing. the forest has greatly deterior-
ated.
The mining company for which the
plan was prepared wishes to manage
these lands SO az to obtain q continu-
uous supply Of timber for It's mines,
The field work occupied . party Of
eight men for about three months.
From valuation surveys showing the
stand per acre OF all trees n inch
and over In diameter breasthigh, on
various parts Of the tract, estimates
OF the present stand Of timber on 49,.
500 acres : computed. Measure.
ments were taken on yellow poplar.
| chestnut oak. and white oak. and VOL
From valuation surveys showing the
contents In board feet Of these species.
A forest map was also made ON q
scale Of 1000 feet to the inch, with
10o-foot contours. and covering N area
Of forty-one square miles.
The study Of the tract soon showed
that successful forest management
called for the solution Of the following
problems:
1. Protection Of the forest from
fire.
2. Restriction Of grazing to clear
ings and land not recently numbered.
3. The obtaining Of satisfactory
Seeding reproduction Of the valuable
timber trees.
4. The removal from the forest Of
the inferior species At = profit. which
resolves itself into the question Of
utilization OF the low-grade timber.
5. Modification Of the present log.
ging practices to reduce waste In the
felled trees and . leave ~thsiisrest in
improved condition. nv
To protect the forest from fire, .
Aystem ID to be o~rgapized,. under
which one man win become response
BILE for Ill fire fighting, and the log.
gins contractors will b held liable
for damages BY fires started By their
men. In restricting grazing o Of
the most important steps would be
the adoption BY the county Of the
West Virginia stock law. BY which the
company could stop free grazing on
it, lands. Satisfactory Seeding repro.
duction can b obtained By stopping
fires. BY regulating grazing. and BY
introducing conservative methods Of
logging. Seeding BY the species
which II Ii desired to reproduce will
be secured by prescribing diameter
limits below which these frees shall
not be cut and BY cutting all undesir-
able species to low diameter limits.
The removal from the forest Of the
inferior species at q profit IL made
possible by utilising the best trees for.
lumber, by manufacturing all wooden
rails and planking for tramwsys out
Of the larger trees. by allowing no 9TH
Ell species to be used for cribbing and
for bridge timbers on tramroads. ana
by making all ties, posts. props, and
caps required In the mines and locally
out Of such timber. y
The recommendations Of this work
ing plan are o In force. In Novem-
Der, 1904. two months after the com.
pletion Of the field work, seed trees
Of the valuable species were being
left by the Mmbermen, and the log
cling rules for avoiding waste and leav.
ing the forest In good condition were
being carried out, Grazing will un-.
doubtedly soon be regulated and fire
protection provided.
MICHIGAN EDUCATORS
DISCUSS SCHOOL PROBLEMS.