The Coconino sun., 1921-12-02

tons similar to those of the agricul
tural stations make forest experiment
stations indispensable to the progress.
of forestry and the welfare of the in
dustries dependent upon the forests
American opinion is rapidly coming
to the conclusion that national pros
perity and well-being depend hardly
less upon a bountiful and cheap sup
ply of timber than well developed
and prosperous agriculture. This sup.
ply can be insured only by growing
timber in the same way we grow farm
crops.
"The forest service, recognizing tina,
forest experiment stations are need
ed to perform the same service in
forestry that agricultural experiment
stations render in agriculture, between
1908 and 1913 established six stations
in the west-two in California and one
each in Washington, Idaho, Colorado
and Arizona. A small technical staff
was built up at each station. A pro-
gram of Investigations having to do
with fundamental problems of forest
management was laid out, and ex-
periments requiring continuous prose-
cution for term of years was inau-
gurated. The continuity of the work,
however, was interrupted. Financial
exigencies made it necessary to close
the two California stations. This in
volved suspending many of the studies
that were under way and curtailing
the rest severely. The situation for
the current fiscal year is somewhat
better, for it has been possible to re-
new the work of the Idaho station
and to establish on a small scale two
new eastern stations, one in the APP
palachian mountains and one in the
southern pine belt. Nevertheless, the
present provision for this form of re-
search represents scarcely a begin
ming on a very large task.
"A timber situation growing more
critical yearly raises pertinent and
important questions of what forest ex-
pertinent and important questions of
what forest experiment stations have
actually accomplished here and else
where, what they can and should do,
the field they should cover, why they
are necessary to the industrial and So
cial development of the United States,
how many we should have, where they
should be, and what they win cost"
This is the introduction of an inter-
esting bulletin recently issued by the
U. S. forest service concerning the past
work of and the future needs for for
est experiment stations. The work Of
these stations is of considerable in
terest to the Southwest, because of
the fact that the first forest expert
ment station in the United States was
established at Fort Valley near Flag
staff, Arizona, in 1908. The work of
this station, which up to the present
has been devoted largely to western
yellow pine forests, Is conducted
throughout Arizona and New Mexico
and its results will be directly ap-
plicable to the yellow pine forests Of
the two states.
Arizona and New Mexico do not now
produce their full timber require
ments, the use each year being two
to three times the cut. Here also the
water supply for irrigation is of pri-
mary Importance, and the forests
must be managed from this stand
point as well as for timber. The Fort
Valley experiment station has tackled
many of the fundamental forest prob
lens, and although the major portion
of the work has been discontinued be-
cause of lack Of funds, good begin |
ming has been made here in solving
forest station problem about as diff
cult as any in the United States. To |
secure young growth naturally in the |
Southwest is proving equally difficult,
and 70 years may pass after logging
operations without even the beginning |
of young stand. Here also a good |
start has been made in Investigations,
but much remains to be done in the !
of methods of cutting, 4
brush disposal, and regulation Of
grazing, which will insure satisfactory I
young forests within a reasonable
time after cutting. Research, form
erly confined almost exclusively to
western yellow pine stands, must as
soon as possible cover also the other
forests of the region. Results of the
work which this station should do will
benefit national forest administration
mainly, but private holdings growing
but of Spanish and railroad land
grants are also extensive.
Probably the most interesting re-
suits secured by any Of the expert
nent stations are the Jack pine and
Yellow pine plantations in the sand
Hills Of Nebraska. These cover all
old some 1,250,0O0 acres. They are
lot unlike the waves of choppy sea,
md are in slow movement before the {
prevailing winds from the northwest.
The sparse native vegetation of bunch
,rass, shrubs, and other plants ,
ldapted to semi-arid conditions re-
ards, but does not wholly check this /
movement. Here and there in the
'ottoms that wind among the hills the !
oil permits some field crops to be |
,rown, but the hills themselves are al !
most pure silicious sand and scarcely
nore fertile than sea beach. Live !