The Idaho Springs siftings-news., 1920-10-01

lower altitude where more vigorous plants could
be produced in the longer growing season and the
trees be dug and placed upon the planting areas
as soon as weather conditions made spring field
planting possible.
The monument nursery site chosen and
developed In the spring of 1907 result Of the
two years experience with the other two small
sites. The monument site has proved satisfactory
and is now producing the large amount Of yellow
pine Douglas fir and Engelmann spruce, and the
small amount of timber pine now being planted
nearly upon Pixies Peak.
After field planting further seedlings of Doug
las fir were brought In and planted in the Bear
Greek region with little better success, as this
small planting showed thirty-ive per cent alive
OF this field planting a study was made and
map completed showing the extent of the types
which should be planted with the different species
of trees which grow originally upon the area. The
first experiments made at the lower alti-
tudes with yellow pine and Douglas fir. In the
recent years the production of Engelmann
spruce and timber pine for the high planting
types has been taken up. The low percentage
of survival in the earlier paintings showed the
need OF the most vigorous transplants that could
be produced and this secured in the two
one plant as leaving the tree two years In the
seed bed gave plant readily handled in trans
planting, while the year in the transplant
had produced well developed tree with clus-
tered root system made up of fine roOtlets of
much greater than that of tree crown
evaporating surface
Some 4,575 acres have been planted the
Pike national forest for the most part in the
Colorado Springs region and in the vicinity of the
famous auto highway to the top of Pixies Peak.
An additional thousand acres is also being re-
forested in this vicinity. Fully eighty-fve per
cent of the area which has been artifcally planted
to pines and spruces be considered as
cessfully stocked with trees Such losses as have
occurred are due principally to the planting of
Austrian pine, a species which is here out of its
habitat. While fall planting may succeed in
regions where there are early and abundant SHOWS.
such conditions cannot be depended upon along
the eastern slopes of the Rocky mountains.
The principal species planted are yellow pine
on the lower foothills which in turn gives way
to Douglas fir and Engelmann spruce the
higher slopes timber pine being used for windy,
exposed regions The trees are planted eight by
eight feet or about 700 acre, and the average
cost of planting, including the cost of producing
the trees at the nursery, is approximately s11
acre, which is considered moderate when the
rugged and rocky region in which the reforesta-
ton work is being carried is considered. Gen
orally speaking, it may be said that the annual
survival of trees varies from 60 to 80 per cent
There little public interest in the work
at first. The slow growth of the trees and the
slight showing each year had much to do with
this lack of enthusiasm on the part of the public.
In fact in the early paintings complaint was
made (though scrupulous care taken to guard
against it, that in planting these watersheds the
presence of camps for the planters would pollute
the water of the cities using 1t for a municipal
supply. One prominent citizen spoke with ridIcule
of the project. claiming 1t was absurd TO spend
the peoples money for reforestation above an
altitude of 1000 feet because above this altitude
the growth so slow that such paintings could
never be of value. Now that the trees show well
over the plantations, there IS hearty approval for
what has been accomplished.
SO 1t seems that the millions of those wiso
have Pixies Peak may not know the ola
fellow when next they make the trip for he wiz
have new face day.
(@. 1920 Western Newspaper Union,