Arizona republican., 1908-09-26
EXPERIMENT STATIONS
 IN NATIONAL FORESTS
The First Will Be Established With
 Headquarters at Flagstaff.

] Forest experiment stations will soon
 be established in a number of the national forest states of the west &C., cording to plans which have just been
 completed by the United States forest
 service. These new stations are ex-
 pected to do the same for the de- Yelopment of American forests as
 agriculturaTs experiment stations have
 done for the improvement of the country's farms.
 As first step in this work an ex- pertinent station has already been established on the Coconino national forest in the southwest, with head
 quarters at Flagstaff, Arizona. Sta tions in other national forests will
 be established later, and 1t is the intention ultimately to have at least
 one experiment station in each of the silvicultural regions of the west.
 One of the most important parts
 of the work of the new experiment
 stations will be the maintenance of
 model forests typical of the region.
 These areas will furnish the most
 valuable and instructive object les
 sons for the public in general, for
 professional foresters, lumbermen and
 owners of forest land, and especially
 to the technical and administrative
 officers of the national forests.
 In the recently established station
 on the Coconino national forest one
 of the first problems to be taken up
 will be the study of the reproduc-
 tion of western yellow pine and the causes of its success and failure. A solution of this problem of how to obtain satisfactory reproduction of
 the yellow pine is of the greatest
 practical importance to the south west, since the yellow pine. which
 is by far the most valuable tree there, is in many cases not forming a satisfactory second growth. The study will be carried on largely by means .of sample plots, which will be laid out for future observation to deter mine the effects of grazing. of the different methods of cutting and dis posing of the brush, and of other factors on the success of reproduc- tion.
 Other studies which will be taken up soon are a study of the light requirements of different species at different attitudes and the construc- ton of a scale of tolerance which will be based on the actual meas urements of the light intensity, and not only, as has hitherto been the case, on general observations alone; the taking of meteorological observa- tions to determine the effect of the forest upon temperature, melting of snow, wind velocity, etc.; a study of the relative value of the germinat- ing power of seeds from trees of diff ferent sizes, ages, and degrees of health; and similar studies of value to the region. A complete collection of the flora of the forest will be made to form a herbarium. which will be kept on the forest and will be avail able for reference at any time.
 These stations will carry on scien- tific experiments and studies which will lead to a full and exact knowl- edge of American silviculture. and the indirect benefits of the forests and will deal particularly with those problems of particular importance to the regions in which they are located.
 While work of this character is now in this country. it is not with out precedent abroad. The value of the systematic organization of forest research work was officially recog- nized in Germany in 1870. when the first forest experiment station was established in Baden, in connection with the Polytechnikum at Carlsruhe. Half a dozen of the German states followed the example, instituting main experiment stations in connec- tion with. forest schools and branches in various forest districts. The work done is intensely scientific. and the policy of forest experiment stations is steadily growing in favor.
 In India, where after half a century of administration the status of the forest is hardly better than in the United States at present. the work of research has been almost wholly and the result is apparent in the poor progress of technical forestry. Very lately, however, the need has been recognized by the gov ernment and an Imperial Forest Re search Institute and College has been created at Dehra Dun, with a faculty chosen from the imperial forest ser vice
 In the United States considerable work has already been done in connection with forest problems, but the chief trouble so far has been the lack of persistence and perma | hence which has characterized the work, and failure frequently to con- slider all the factors which are in voIved. The new system provides for the permanent assignment in a I given region of specially trained men who will have an opportunity to be- come thoroughly familiar with their region, and the work will thus be conducted with the greatest effective ness and least expense.
 The work will be not only scien- tfic in character. but will also be l extremely practical, and will aim in every case to solve problems of most to the lumberman, the and the people as a whole. Valuable results will undoubtedly be in this way which were not under the old system of gen.