The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1908-01-24
DENSE STAND LODGEPOLE PINE.
Range, Size, Rate of Growth, and Use
of a Tree of Increasing Inn
pOrtance.

name from it's wide use by the Indi-
ans as support for their tepees
Since the Indians of the Rocky Noun
tain region dragged their lodge poles
to the plains when on hunting trips,
a timber of requisite height but small
diameter was sought, and this the
lodgepole pine provided without trim
ming. The names of white pine,
black pine, spruce and tamarack are
also applied locally. In Wyoming
lodgepole pine is more numerous than
any other tree, and it is largely re-
presented in the forests of Colorado,
Utah, Montana and Idaho, and to
some extent in Washington, Oregon
and California. 1t grows from sea
level to 1000 feet elevation, and is
noted for it's variable form and quail
ty. In the Rocky Mountains the
wood is lighter in weight and color,
less resinous, and straighter grained
than on the Pacific coast.
Lodgepole pine attains an age of
from 100 to 800 years. 1t quickly
succumbs to fire on account of it's
thin bark, but to a certain extent
guards against extinction by this
cause by producing fertile cones at
the early age of from 6 to 10 years.
Reseeding after fire is favored also
by the persistence of the cones, some
of which do not shed their seeds for
a number of years, and by the readi-
ness with which the seeds germinate
on mineral soil of burned-over land.
A large proportion of the seeds ger
inmate; they are usually born annual
ly and in large quantities; and since
they are small and light, they are
carried by the wind as far as 200
yards from the seed tree.
The yield runs as high as 10000
board feet per acre, though it does
not often run over 1000 board feet.
The tree is of small size, seldom ex-
ceeding 8 inches in diameter and 80
feet in height, but it usually forms
dense stands. It is valuable for
poles, hewed ties, mine props, stulls,
logging poles, and box boards. The
demand for lodgepole pine for hewed
ties is espe tally strong for two rea-
sons: the wood hews easily, and,
since the common size Of the tree is
from / to IA inches in diameter
breast high, there is little hewing to
be done. Experiments on a large
scale looking toward the use OF lodge
pole for paper pulp will be tried by
the purchasers of timber from one of
the National Forests. The rate of
growth is very slow after the first
few years.
Three of the largest timber sales
of the Forest Service are of lodge
pole pine. One of 165 million board
feet is in Medicine Bow National For
est on the Colorado Wyoming line,
and one of SO million board feet in
each of the Big Horn Forests Tin
Wyoming) and the He'll Gate Forest
(in Montana. In the He'll Gate sale
the saw timber brings 81 per thous-
and and the converter poles 10 cents
each. Cordwood is also included in
the contract, so that every stick of
the trees marked for removal down
to 2k inches is taken. Utilization
is almost as complete as In German
forest.
Circular 1875 of the Forest Service,
available upon application to the For
ester at Washington, contains tables
howing the average number of lodge
pole pine trees per acre and the as
ISOLATED species in Wyoming and
Montana. The principal associated
srees are Douglas fir, Engelmann
spru e, and alpine fir, though tama-
rack. western white pine, and west |
orn yellow pine occur also in some |
places with lodgepole pine. The
Douglas fir decreases and the Engel-
mann spruce increases in the mix
:ure going south from Montana,
through Wyoming Idaho, and Colo
ada
Lodgepole pine grows little taller
N the average in Montana tran II |
wyoming, a 12-inch tree in Montan[
aying a height of "A feet, and Il
WyoIning 60 feet. The growth IL
cry slow in all localities, though
title faster in Montana and WON
'ng. IN 100 years the average diane
er in the former state is ! inahe:
and in the latter from to 10 inches
A 16-inch tree 60 feet high con
airs 100 board feet, Scribner rute
80 feet high 230 board feet, and lOc
"eet high 315 board feet. The bark
l., ,,o,,, tb;, frooc ouor ipchpE in |