The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-09-16
Tree PLANTING
STATION CLOSE
Uncle Sam Doing important
Work at the Head of Big
Cottonwood Canyon.
SEEDLINGS BEING RAISED
INTENDED FOR PLANTING ON I'M
PoRTANT WATERSHEDS.
SEEDLINGS BEING RAISED
Especial to The HeraId)

Especial to Inc Herald-b
Washington, Scot 15.-At the head of
Big Cottonwood canyon. in the Wasatcn
mountains. not far from Salt Lake City,
Uncle Sam has one of the most impor-
tant OF the nine planting stations which
have been established in the national for
ests throughout the country.
Of all the planting stations that are
maintained by the forest service this one,
perhaps. Is the most ideal and it promises
C. become one Of the best producers. 1t is
estimated that under the present capacity
100000 seedlings can be grown annually
and If 1t becomes necessary the nursery
can be increased to two or three times its
present size The planting operations are
in charge Of y. j. Fetherolf. planting as
sistant, working undeHsthe direction of e.
II. Clarke. supervisor Of the Salt Lake
and Wasatch national forests.
Production of Seedlings.
This station is intended for the produc-
tion OF forest tree seedlings for planting
on important watersheds in the Wasatch
mountains This nursery has one-half
acre in seed beds and a good-sized area
is available for use in transplanting the
seedlings after they have grown in the
seedbeds one or two years
Forest planting is becoming more and
more important each year and the public
generally realizes that if the supply of
commercial timber is TO be maintained a
great deal OF planting must be done in
the future The government has encour-
aged private land owners throughout the
middle west TO plant trees upon their
homesteads. and within the last five or
six years advice in forest planting has
been given to thousands of farmers in the
middle west
There are now over 100000 acres in
national forests and within these are in
Cluded vast areas of land that require for
est planting because seed trees are wholly
lacking. Among the various policies con-
nected with the management of the ma
tiOnal forests that of forest DlautinZ Is
yet in its infancy. but within a compare
lively short time II will assume greater
importance in the general mana gement OF
the national forests.
Process Is Slow.
1t requires from two to four years 10
produce stock sufficiently large for plant
ing, and therefore the process of reforest-
alton at the beginning must be slow. ANY
Planting that Is done in the vicinity of
this station will serve two purposes
First. Improvement of the watershed
cover of an important drainage basin.
from which Salt Lake City is supplied
and, at the same time, the production of
commercial timber on land that formerly
bore an excellent stand but which has
been devastated by careless numbering
and forest fires.
1t will be one OF two years before any
STOCK Is available for planting, but then
there should be at least 10000 trees ready
10 set out or the mountain side. There
is no question about the success of field
planting, since the region is potentially a
foreSted area There is abundant oppor-
tunity for experimental work in testing
new species, and this spring seeds of a
large number Of trees that are not COM
mon to the Wasatch mountains have been
soWn at the nursery to determine their
adaptability to that region.
seed OF japanese larch, which is very
similar TO the European larch. has beer
sOwn at this station, and while II is not
certain Just what the results will be- We;
IL is believed that this may prove to be
a valuable tree for planting certain sites
1t is estimated that there are over 500
acres within range of this station which
are in veFy urgent neeC of reforestation
IN twenty-five years the barren slopes
will be green again with trees and The
planted forest will be improving the wa
ter flow. which is of SUCH great worth
TO Salt Lake City