The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1914-01-09
HARD WOOD FOR UTAH.

To Commissioner Wells has been as
signed the department of pubic
parks. and doubtless he VIII find 1t
A conpenial field for his business skill
and artistic tendencies. Here is sug-
eestion that the commissioner may find
available 1t will not work out IN
week or month or even year, but
will prove Joy TO children and even
20 the grown folk dozen years from
now, and many years thereafter.
The West is regrettably barren OF
nut trees and hard wood. One Of the
chief autumn diversions in the East
is the gathering Of nuts. West
ern children have been denied this
recreation because there are few nut
trees in or about the cities, although
some farms have been supplied with
them. Would it not be we'll TO plant
in the City Creek park and in the other
marks of the city black walnut, hickory
chestnut. and beechuut trees? A dozen
years hence they will begin 10 bear
abundantly and will afford new
recreation for the children.
In the Eastern parks, one of the
charming sights is the scurrying to and
fro of the red and gray squirrels. They
even overflow into the boulevards of
the great cities, and. protected by law
from injury, they move about among
the grass and shrubbcry at the very
edge of the pavements where the auto
mobiles rush past. They are not seen
in the Western parks because they
cannot get along very well with
out a food supply Of nuts. As
soon as the nut trees begin to
bear the parks can be colonizcd
with the red and gray squirrels, which
are a delight to the children and not
without interest and entertainment for
the adults.
gests itself that the United States
Forestry Department might accomplish
a great work for the West by planting
hard wood and nut trees in the Ma
tional reserves, along the banks of the
streams. The Eastern mountains are
filed with hard wood trees, but not in
sufficient quantities to supply much
lumber. The principal source Of hard
wood lumber is in the Ozark mountains
where there is plentiful growth of
white and red oak and hickory. In a
few years the present supply of hard
wood will be exhausted. and unless the
Forestry Department acts now there
will be no hard wood 10 take the place
of that which is being eliminated
in addition TO the black walnut, the
hickory, and the other nut trees al.
ready mentioned, the Forestry Depart
ment should plant white and red oak
the most popular and useful hard wood
in this country.
1t may be well also 10 suggest tina,
the soft wood resources of the State
are not being properly exploited. In
q letter now before us, Mr.. Z. A. Sher
man. District Forester of the United
States Department of Agriculture, with
headquarters in Ogden, writes:
"There are scattering bodies Of fir
spruce, and pine in general throughout
the mountains of the State, enough il
many localities for local needs, and ir
the Sewer forest, on the headwaters oi
the SEWER river, in Garfield and Iror
counties, there are thirteen saw mill.
nov running. In addition, aspen /,
plentiful in central and southern Utah
and good demand for it for mine
props is becoming established in the
mines Of Scoheld, Clear Creek, and
Winter Quarters. The establishment OF
a paper mill would greatly stimulate
the demand for aspen. A good railroad
through the Sewer country might make
il possible TO turpentine the yellow pine
pro6tsbly before cutting for saw tim
ber.''
Mr.. Sbcrman's proposals strike ono
as highly practical. and they deserv,