New-York tribune., 1907-07-06
REFORESTING METHODS
Secretary Wilson to Spend Vacation
Stldying Tree Planting.
From The Tribune Bureau ]


Washington, July 5-Secretery Wilson ot the
Department Of Agriculture left Washington this
afternoon expecting TO be away from his Of
fee for six weeks He will personally inspect
the national forests Of the West with the idea
Of finding al first hand how the policy Of the
department operates and will particularly in
veslgate denUded and unrimbered regions
where attempts are being made TO devise more
successful methods Of replanIing q great
extent Of country with trees in single season.
This absence from his Office is considered by the
Secretary as his vacation for the year. although
il will be actively spent in forestry research
lar ely II California IN speaking of the trip
and its objects he said to-day,
The greatest need that I see right now is in
the Improvement Of the method Of growing trees
wholesale from the seed The method of replen-
ishing the forests by setting out small trees IS
TOO slow and TOO tedious. I would like TO SOW
the seeds for the future forests as I would sow
wheat. and 70 do the work 50 efectually thai
The Forest Service could go out and plant hun
6reds Of thousands Of acres in q single season.
and these young trees growing from the seed
Hnd under the protection they would need in the
first years of their lives might develop into the
forests Of the future and furnish the right tim
Der if the seeds were carefully eeIec:e I will
look particularly into this phase Of the work
on ny present trip. The national forests have
been under this department TWO wears. and in
that time I have had no opportunity OF visit
ing them. I want 70 see personally how our
policies are working out and whether or not we
are really conserving the forest lands for the
actual home maker, preventing their acqulsi-
uon by z few interests and in the mean time
utilizing their grazing and other resources 10
the best advantage"
Reforestation by artificial broadcast seed SOW
ing Il IS explained. is yet in its experimental
stages Some efforts have been successful
while others have fallen short OF expectation
but there IS no cause for discourag cement. John
,-sr,ar viz has sal
mans efforts in this direction hundredfod
more successful than natures since only one
pine seed in ten thousand planted IN the forest
by natural process becomes tree Yet nature
has successfully forested vast areas often under
the most adverse conditions.
Broadcast seed sowing has been tried in the
mountains Of Southern California. IN the sand
hills Of Nebraska, in the Adrondacks and else
where. At the suggestion Of Secretary Wilson,
the Forest Service in the spring ST 1905 started
other experiments along this line in the Black
Hills National Forest. The Custer Peak burn,
e tract Of 10000 acres, barren except for aspen
and bearberry thckets. was selected. Before
the fire, fourteen years ago, this tract was
covered with dense stand Of yellow pine from
70 70 l5 feet high. The fire left il without seed
trees and only by artificial means could 1t be
reforested
IN September following this first experim entail
sowing II was found 10 have been successful.
The seedlings were thrifty. uniformly dis
tributed and were from II 10 inches high.
They were least abundant on sod and in aspen
and bearberry thickets and most abundant on
the exposed soil Of dry knobs. The weather
condition was exceptionally favorable at the
time OF and following the sowing.
Encouraged by these results, the forest service
continued similar experiments in the same re-
gion in the spring Of 1906 when three hundred
pounds Of Western yellow pine seed were sown.
The weather was unfavora BILE and results were
not as successful as before. but fair stand was
secured. This spring twenty separate expert
mental areas were established and varying
Quantities Of seed sown upon them. These areas
represent all kinds Of situations from ploughed
land TO bare hilltops and slopes II is believed
that trustworthy inforp1s ton can thus be
cured concerning the possibilities Of restocking
the denuded areas in the Black Hills National
Forest
II this seasons experiments are successful IL
IS probable that this simple method of reforest-
ing burned tracts be extensively adopted
throughout the greater part of the Black Hills
National Forest. bat il must be borne IN mind
that the areas In the Black Hills where sucn
experimental work is being done are potential
forest lands and were formerly covered with yell
low pine. Broadcast sowing should be successful
there II & be made 50 anywhere in the
country. But the ultimate and general success
Of this method throughout he country renal l.
II be established BY future experiments.
Reforesting along old lines has proved expen-
flTe, costing something Ike $40 an acre. This
system embraces the sowing OF inc seed In 2
garden and subsequently digging up the young
trees and transplanttng them In France the
method is followed despite the expense, but Sec
Tetary Wilson hopes 10 develop a cheaper sys-
tenn. The old method, however, is being urged
On the keepers and rangers in the forest service
for the present. and in the total Is OF consid-
ersble importance The effect of the example
Fet the public however, is regarded as Of much
naore importance than the actual forests so de-
veloped. II il viii result In widespread care of
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