The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1908-12-07
FIRST NATIONAL FOREST
EAST OF MISSISSIPPI
Florida Has the Dinstinction Of Getting
the First one-The First One Also
in North Dakota.

Washington, Dec. ITO Florida goes
the distinction OF getting the first ma.
| tiona forest created east Of the Missis-
| sippi river President Roosevelt has just
igned q proclamation setting aside and
naming He 0cala national forest ID Mar.
ion county in eastern Florida and an
other proclamation creating the Dakota
national forest 10 Billings county, North
Dakota. Inasmuch as the last named
national forest is the first in North Da-
kots, the two proclamations add two
more states to the list of those wherein
land will be put under scientific forest
administration. There are now nineteen
states, and Alaska, having national for
ests
Before the creation Of the 0cala, in
Florida, the two forests III Arkansas, the
Ozark and the Arkansas, were the east
crnmost national forests Practically all
the other national forests are in the
Rocky mountain and the Pacific coast
states. The Florida forest has an area
Of 20l,as acres, Of which about one.
fourth has been taken up under various
land laws. II covers plateau between
the st. Johns and 0chlawaha rivers aud
tit no point ii ali elevation exceeding $50
feet above sea level obtained The area
is by nature better fitted for the pro-
duetion of forest growth than for any
other purpose. Nearly all of the area,
however. seems particularly we'll adapted
to the growth of sand pine which il even
nov replacing the less valuable species.
and with protection from fire almost the
entire area viii IN time undoubtedly be
covered with dense stand Of this spe
eies The long leaf pine much more
valuable commercial tree than the Sand
pine appears rather sparseiy on this for.
est and is confined principally To the
lawer flat lands along the streams on
the borders Of the forest
In addition to the pines and scrub
growtbs, build cypress. cabbage palmetto
aad tupelo gum, gradually changing to
water oak, ash, elm, magnolia. hickory,
and maple, are found bordering the NH.
merous ponds and lakes which are scat.
tered ahuHiantly throughout tile confines
ot this forest.
Fire has played a very important part
in bringing about the present poorly tor
ested condition of the 0cala, as year
after year large fires have burned unin-
terruptedly over this tract, killing All
vegetation and consuming the humus of
the soil Naturally protected portions
which have not been subject fo the
flames, prove positively, however. that
the soil viii rapidly respond to little
care taking and that the prevention Of
fires would eventually mean the refores.
tation OF practically the entire area.
No saw mill operations have been cor.
Quoted on the area included in the Ocala
national forest. Turpentining hy boxing
IL carried on over contiguous areas ana
through the careless and antiouatod |
methods used the future pine eron If
the adjoining region is greatly leonard. |
lied, The soil is Of little value for aori /
cultural purposes. and about the any T
crop which can be produced that viii IL I
Of lasting value is sand pine, and With
proper care and attention there should III /
time be valuable forest Of this spa
The new Dakota national forest con.
sists Of 1850 acres in the BAD Land
region. It is located IN Billings conntv
and lies an equal distance between fba
Northern Pacific railroad On the north
md the Chicago, Milwaukee and ST. pau
IN The south. Its creation is important
.or It means that an experimental fe1d
.or forest planting has been secured n
Worth Dakota, the least forestad state II
he union. having only enc per cent Sc
rec growth. The forest service expects
o establish forest nurseries with tbs
'ape that in time to come the area NAV
D. retorested BY artificial means. Tbia