Bismarck daily tribune., 1908-12-15
MEMBER or ASSOCIATED PRES
NEW FORREST RESERVE.

NEW FOREST RESERVE.
The setting apart of forest re-
serve in North Dakota is perhaps
more important than is generally APP
preciated. North Dakota is a COM
paratively treeless state, and the gov
ernment in addition to reserying q
tract where forestry may be practic-
ed, encourages the forestation of 9TH
er areas over the state. A Washing
ton correspondent of the Herald at
Grand Forks, in speaking of the new
reserve in this state, says:
2 s.The new Dakota National Forest
consists of 14,0S0 acres in the Bad
Lands region. 1t is located in Bill
lings county and lies an equal dis
tance between the Northern Pacific
railroad on the north and the Chi
cago, Milwaukee and st. Paul on the
south. 1t means that an experiment.
al field for forest planting has been
secured in North Dakota, the least
forested state in the union, having
only one per cent of tree growth.
The forest service expects to estab-
lisa forest nurseries with the hope
that in time to come the area may
be reforested by artificial means.
This feature is expected to prove a
very good object lesson to the set
-. 5ns
tiers, who it is hoped, will in turn
plant wind breaks around their farms.
The forest is very open and for
the most part contains scattering
stand of western yellow pine timber.
Along the creek bed is found ash,
box elder, cottonwood, elm and birch.
Cedar breaks are also found on pre-
cipitous slopes bordering the streams.
q Western yellow pine is the only mer-
chantable species, however, on the
forest and the average stand per acre
is not over 1000 feet. The repro
duction Of pine is fairly good wher-
ever mature trees occur, but owing to
the open condition of the forest and
the dense growth of grass it is for
4 the most part satisfactory.
There is but little timber that will
be sold from the forest at the pres
ent time since this area is very isolat-
ed, being surrounded on all sides by
vast plains. Many homesteaders have
3 in the past come to this forest for
timber for logs to build their houses.
Since the completion Of the st. Paul
b. r., Billings county lis being rapid
4 ~ settled and while stock grazing is
Z at the present time the most import
4 ant industry it is very probable that
farming will become the most i'm
portant industry within the next few
years. It is very important, there
fore, that the timber which now re-
mains should be conserved exclusive
1 II for the use Of the home builder.
At the present time there are. but
seven homesteaders within the boun-
1 daries OF the forest, but all of the
odd sections are alienated land, be-
ing owned by the Western Land Sc
curities company. This company has
been ssellin portions of their holdings
during the past few years. Very lit
tie of the government land within
the boundaries of the forest is suit
able for farming purposes, since II
is quite rough and broken and wa
ter is very scarce. It Is the country
outside Of the forest which is now be.
! ing taken up by settlers.
No sawmill operations have ever
been conducted on this area, When
the Northern Pacific railroad was
being built a large number OF trees
were cut for railroad ties and al
together with the logs whoch have
been procured for house building by
settlers this Is the only use which hal
been made Of the timber on the for
. EST. 1t is understood that the logs
nsed in the construction Of President
Roosevelt's cabin, which now stands
in the state capitol grounds at Bis
marck, n. D., we're obtained from tEe
area now included in the North Da.
kota National forest.
Governor Burke Of North Dakota
IS very much interested in this fores
and thinks It will be Of inestimabls
vaIue to the people who live in th,