Bisbee daily review., 1908-07-01
GILA FOREST
 MADE INTO TWO
 BY PRESIDENT
Changes Were Ordered So As to Get More Trees into the ReServe-The New B0und- aries.
(Special to he Review.l

WASHINGTON, June 30.-The pres idenL has just signed proclamation dividing the Gila nationl forest into two separate national forests. The northern division Of the present Gila will be known hereafter as the Datil national forest, while the southern di- vision retains the name Gila, and also takes in what was previously the Big Burros national forest.
 This proclamation has also made three small additions to these for ests and one elimination. The Datil national forest now includes an addi- tiOnal area not heretofore embraced in the northern division of the Gila of approximately 5000 acres. This addition is located in the vicinity of Corduroy Canyon. It is nearly all covered with yellow pine timber.
 The new boundary includes several sections of very good pine along the northeast slopes of the Indian Peaks, and also a strip of timber which ex- tends north from the old forest on the east side of Corduroy Canyon. 4 considerable portion of this timber can be placed in a commercial class, which will average about $500 feet per acre.
 The changes also include an elimi- nation of 2,559 acres of open land To- cated along the east side of Corduroy Canyon near the Adobe ranch. This proclamation has settled the bounda- | ries of the forests very satisfactorily,
 as it includes all the valuable timber
 land in the vicinity, and at the same 
 suited for forest purposes.
 The additions to the Gila national | forest on the south are in two parts. One of these covers the western slope
 of the Black Range between the old boundary and the Mimbres River and ! consists of approximately 16,000 acres. This is in the form of a long narrow strip and still leaves a consid- erable area between the forest bound ary and the MimbTes river. The can yons in this vicinity all contain yellow pins and some of 1t is of excellent Iquality, and will average on limited l areas from 5000 to 5000 feet per acre. Portions of this area were cut lover many years ago, but all such
 lands are capable of growing trees. | The second addition along the south side of the forest includes what is known as Bear Mountain, in T. r S..
 Rigs. 14 and 15 W. It is an area of approximately 12,1S0 acres. This is a livery important addition since it in cludes much of the watershed of San ! Vincente Creek, from w'nich the water supply for municipal and domestic purposes for Silver City is obtained.
 The flood which occurred in August, 1904, and destroyed approximately lSl00.00O of property in and adjacent to 1 Silver City can be attributed almost lentirely to the destruction of brush and timber on this area. For the vel i fare of Silver City it is extremely i'm 1 iportant that the Bear Mountain ad-
 dition be carefully managed and re- planted with timber as soon as pos Isible- This area was originally in
 tended 10 be within the Gila forest, l but owing to the inaccuracies in the map 1t was inadvertently left out It now contains some yellow pine timber, approximately 800, 900 board feet, and
 considerable young growth, which, if protected, would go a long way to- ward remedying the unsatisfactory water condition.
 The area of the Datil national for
 est. including the recent additions i iand elimination, is now 1.270,500
 acres. The area of the new Gils, in
 cluding the recent addition and the
 original Big Burros national forest is
 now 1.T74,SOI acres.
 The headquarters of the Gila na- tional forest will remain at Silver City. with Supervisor W. H. Goddard
 in charge. while the headquarters of the new Datil national forest win be 1t Magdalena, in charge of Supervisor John Kerr.