Custer weekly chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, S.D.) 1890-1931, 1907-09-28
Forest Planting on Irrigated Lands.

Extensive investigations of irrigated
lands in the western States to determin,
the possibilities on tree planting on re
claimed tracts have just been completed
by experts in the Forest Service and &C
cording to the first reports of the stu
dies the judicious planting Of certain
trees around homesteads and long canal,
will greatly increase the value of land,
where irrigation has played such Q
prominent part in development.
The lands examined are in Montana
Wyoming and the Dakotas, and are
practically treeless as in the case on
most irrigated tracts in these sections
While it was found that the growing oi
trees under the conditions found on
most of the tracts will be confronted
with many difficulties unless great care
is taken, ii has been determined that
certain species can be grown very sue.
cessfully for windbreaks, shelterbelts
fuel and protection for canals.
All of the land examined is of great
value for agriculture and, OF fcourse, tim.
Der production on large scale would
not be advisable even ifit was feasible.
Planting will be profitable chiefly for
the protection it will give farm build.
ings, stockyards, and valuable fruit or
chards from heavy winds and for the
timber which can be grown for fuel,
fence posts, and other uses.
The principal difficulties to be met in
tree growing in the regions where the
examinations were made are the great
extremes of temperature which are al.
ways an important consideration, since
it is the occasional period of extreme
cold and not the average winter tenn
perature which determines the adapt.
ability Of tree. Damage by drought
and extreme heat may be largely over.
come by irrigation, but there is no way
to temper the wintry blasts of these
wind swept prairies, 1t has been found,
however, that the choice of proper
species of trees will meet practically
every difficulty encountered.
On the irrigated tracts in Montana,
Wyoming and the Dakotas, belts of trees
are needed on the north and west TO
shield the farms from the severe cold
winds and on the south to check the
drying winds that come from that dir
ection. Protection on the east is not so
essential, yet if the management of the
buildings will permit, narrow belt OF
trees, at least, will be desirable.
1t has been found species most suit.
able for windbreaks and shelterbreaks
are green ash, box elder, common cot.
tonwood, lanceleaf, Russian wild olive,
jack pine, white spruce, white elm,
hack berry, Balm of Gilead, almond leaf
willow, western yellow, Rocky Noun
tain juniper and blue spruce.
Next to protection, the most import.
ant reason for tree planting is the need
of local supplies for fuel. The species
which are best suited for fuel produc-
ton in this region are the cottonwoods,
aspen and willow, since they will pro-
duce the greatest quantity of wood in
weight per acre, in the least time. For
fence posts, the planting of green ash,
diamond willow, common cottonwood,
Russian olive, Rocky Mountain juniper
and western yellow pine is recommend
ed. Green ash and bur oak furnish ma
terial valuable for farm repairs.
Settlers on irrigated lands in this re.
gion who wish advice on the selection
of species and methods of carrying on
tree planting may obtain it by writing
to the Forester, Forest Service, Wash.
ington, d. G. Requests for advice should
contain information concerning the
character of the soil, the purpose for
which planting is to be done, and other
details which might assist in making the
reply as helpful as possible.