Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1914-02-03
Ninety-five Per Cent Of Timber in Some
Of California's Canyons and Val
leys Killed by Pests.
PROBLEM OF GREAT
IMPORTANCE PRESENTED
Work Of determination Started Last
June and 1t Is Claimed Work VIII
Be Finished This Year.
UNITED PRESS LEASED WIRE. !

UNITED PRESS LEASED wIRE.l
Washington Feb. Especial inves
LEGATIONS by the experts of the Depart
ment Of Agriculture have shown tha
as much as 95 per cent Of the timbe
in some of the canyons and valleys O.
the Toulumne River, which is to suppl,
the water for the Hetch Hetchy pro
ject, has been killed by bark-boring in
sects.
The areas in which practically al
OF the timber has been killed, some oi
IL many years ago, are Jack Main Can
yon and Matterhorn Canyon. It wa'
found that the forest growth Of thu
entire watershed was more or less af
fected, and that the destructive in
sects were killing a great amount OF
timber from near Tenaya Lake through
the forests surrounding ToulumnC
Meadows to and through Virginia Can
yon.
This alarming condition, affecting al
II did the scenic beauty Of the area
north Of the Yosemite Valley and it'
consequent effect on the water supply
and general economy of the Hetch
Hetchy project, presented problem
Of great Importance.
As soon as the matter was called t.
the attention Of the Secretary of the
Interior in the fall Of 1919, he ap
pealed to the Secretary Of Agriculture
for such advice and assistance as his
Department coald render through tht
expert who has charge Of the forest
insect branch Of the Bureau Of Ento.
mology,
War Waged on Beetle.
The matter received the required
prompt attention and arrangements
were soon made for active warfare
against the depredating beetle. A plan
Of procedure was outlined by the ex.
pert and recommended by the Secretary
Of Agriculture to the Secretary Of the
Interior According to the plan, the
Interior Department was to allot the
required funds, the control work Ia
be carried under the immediate super
vision Of an chronological assistant Of
the Bureau Of Entomology. This plar
was. adopted and tho work was started
just as soon as the weather conditions
permitted in June 1918
The areas near Tenaya Lake and il
Cathedral Basin around Toulumne Peal
to the Toulumne Meadows were care
fully cuised for the location and mark
ing Of tho particular trees, in the barb
Of which broods Of the destructive bee
tie had passed tho winter. Two areas
representing centers of infestationl
were thus located and designated--on
as the Tenaya Project, the other as tn,
Cathedral Project.
Control work was started on the Ten
aya Project on July l, aud finished
when the beetles began to emerge from
tho bark on July "a. Work on the Ca
thedral Project was started on Septem
ber 8, after the beetles coming iron
the overwintered bToods had entered tn
bark of the living trees, and was com
pleted on October 7,
The method recommended and fol
lowed was TO fell the infested tree,
lop off the limbs, pile them on tho pros
trate trunk and set fire to il; thu
the infested bark was scorthed o
burned to sufficient extent to xii
the broods Of the Insects The tree
thus treated ranged in diameter fror
inches to 81 inches, with the averag
Of about 22ia inches.
Many Trees Treated.
One thousand, six hundred and seN
enty'oae trees were treated in the tw
projects, at a cost Of $ll5s, includin
all expenses except the salaries Of tw
representatives Of the Bureau Of Ent,
mology who directed and assisted I
the work.
Ia h nlnllnnl lhnA Ihin r.nrl I'm, 4.