Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1908-07-13
HOW THE FOREST
SERVICE HELPS
ARIZONA
Timbered Mountains
in the Midst of the Desert.
Prove Salvation of Arid Part.
of the Territory,
(Forest Service Buiietin.)


Arizona has the reputation of being
a dry, hot country. and much of it
justifies this reputation. Those
thoroughly acquainted with the terri
tory know, however, that there are
mountains in Arizona. and on these
mountains precipitation in the form
of both rain and snow is surprising
ly high. For example, Mt. Graham
rises from the desert in southeastern
Arizona TO an altitude of over 10, 600
feet, and its steep slopes are heavily
timbered with Douglas fir, western
yellow pine and Engelmann spruce.
These timbered mountains are
blessings to the people of the terri
tory in more ways thar one. streams
in which the flow is regulated by the
forests run down into the desert,
where every drop of water is used for
irrigation. The forests also supply
the people of the region with material
for building their houses, for fencing
and with timber.
The timbered portion of Mt. Gra-
ham is in a national forest. This
means that the timber can be used,
but can not be abused. For example,
the government has sold to the Mt.
Graham Lumber company the timber
on an area which is estimated to
yield 950, 600 board feet, and the COM
pany is now cutting and saving it
and supplying the agricultural com
munity in the valley of the ella river
with lumber. and the mines of the
Globe mining district with timbers.
The company's mill is high up on
the mountain side in a little opening
in the dense timber, Here, one and
d half miles above sea level, the logs
are sawed into lumber and d flume
seven and one-half miles long carries
the sawed lumber down through the
rough canyon of Ash creek to the
base of the mountain. where 1t car
be hauled direct to the ranches,
where it is to be used or loaded on
cars and shipped to the mines. \
fiume in Arizona seems out Of place,
but there is plenty of water on. Mt.
Graham with which to operate il,
and there always will be, for the for
est officers allow only carefully Sc
lected trees to be tut. and there will
always be a good forest cover on the
mountain which viii protect the
stream flow and supply timber for the
future.
A striking illustration of the bene-
fits of forest management by Uncle
sam has just been reported from
southern Arizona. In this region fuel
of any kind is exceedingly scarce and
to get. 1t is supplied chiefly
by Mexicans. who go up into the
mountains with burros. cut the fuel
juniper and oak trees. and then
it out In small loads on the
In the past, the rancheTs living at
the mouths OF the canyons in the Dra-
COON mountains, ave prevented the
MeXicans from reaching the most ac-
cessible timber, and perhaps justly
SO. because promiscuous cutting would
Inquestionably have damaged the
watershed and ~unsteadied the flow of
water in these canyons, OF which the
'anchers were dependent for irriga-
Since the establishment of the ma
ional forest. however, the cutting of
has been carefully supervised.
only dead and mature trees. the
'emoval of which would not injure
watershed, have been cut.
Careful cutting of this kind has
allowed in the areas which have
heretofore been closed to use, and as
result, the price Of wood has ac-
ually been reduced in the small towns
round the national forests. For in
lance, in Pcarce. an important min
ng town nine miles from the forest.
he price of wood previous to the
of the national forest, was
s per cord. 1t is now only Sc. and
his decrease can be wholly attribut-
d TO the improved administration Of
he forest.