Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-01-01
IMMENSE TOTAL OF
FORESTED AREA
Latest Addition to Governments
Timbered Preserves Makes
161,233,985 Acres.
THE RESERVE Is IN ARKANSAS
More Than One-Fifth of Country S
Timbered Lands Now Under
Government Supervision.

Washington, Dec. 81. - President
Roosevelt has just signed a proclama-
tion creating national forest in the
west central part OF the state of Ar
kansas. This timbered area which
covers more than 100000 acres Will
have the distinction OF being the
Earliest east of any of the govern
ments forests. This new forest, which
will be called the Arkansas. brings the
total area of the national forests up
10 l61, 2SS 1856 acres. little more than
one-fifth OF the country's total forested
area
The Arkansas national forest is To-
Gated in the counties of Scott, Polk.
Montgomery, Yoll, Logan, Perry. sa-
line and Garland. The most valuable
stands of timber in the forest are made
up of short leaf pine, red, white and
post oak and a little black walnut and
cherry. The commercial timber varies
from 1000 TO $4,000 feet an acre. A
conservative estimate places the COM
mercial timber I'm the forest at 1000
100000 board feet. but it is thought
probable that the actual amount over
runs this estimate by several hundred
million feet.
EXPERIMENT RANGER.
Samuel ]. Record. formerly of the
office of forest management In the for
est service, who will be the supervisor
in charge of the new forest. has left
Washington for Fort Smith, where he
will establish headquarters. Mr.. Rec
ord is trained forester and has prac-
teal knowledge OF the forest conditions
in the west by reason of four years
field work In the Azark region OF Mis-
souri,, In Montana. Michigan, several
states in the middle west, and finally
I'm Arkansas where he made a work
Ing plan in 1905. for 10000 acres OF pine
forest and later made the examination
of the land the recommendation Tor
the withdrawal of the area now In
cluded in the new Arkansas forest.
FIRES ARE COMMON.
Fires are very common throughout
the region IN which the Arkansas for
est Is located. The forest will be put
under administration at once. and with
a competent ranger force and proper
cooperation on the part of the set
tiers living within the boundaries of
the forest, the fires can soon be brought
under control. In the west, where
practically all of the national forests
are located, II has been shown that
FIRE can he reduced to point where
the loss Is utterly Insignificant through
tho system of patrol which is an I'M
portant Tart OF the forest admlnistra-
ton,
OF INTEREST TO LuMBERMEN.
The creation of the Arkansas Ma
tlonal forest has brought a relatively
small area of the immense forest area
of the Mississippi valley under prac-
teal forest administration. As an OBJ
ject lesson as TO what can he done
In the way of conservative numbering.
the forest VIII be of great interest to
the lnmhermen in the Mississippi, and
II Is hoped that the large areas IN pri-
Vate hands viii he managed on strict
forestry principles when the practical
results OF governments administration
Of this forest are seen.
HEAVILY TIMBERED.
Arkansas has always been rich in
Forest resources, The entire area OF
the state is $3.50 square miles. Fully
so per cent OF It's area remains In
woodland, of which two-thirds Is COM
mercinl forests. This places Arkansas
among tie most heavily timbered states
and makes II the csnter OF unusual
activity In the lumber business.
WILL LAST so YEARS.
The total amount OF standing tim
Der IN the state is approximately lO0.-
10000, 900 feet, OF which pine comprises
20 900 100000. The total cua for the
yaar 1906 was nearly 1000 900 900 feet,
he largest I'm the history OF the state.
Al this rate years will be required
o cnt off MI the timber assuming that
he factor OF growth VIII be offset by
deterioration and waste. In all proba-
unity the rate of cutting will Increase
% materially that the available supply
viii be largely exhausted In Less Than
% years, II present methods are CON
inued most Of this forest land viii be-
'ome barren and unproductiva, II prop
rly managed II Will play an important