The Coconino sun., 1924-02-22
LARGE AREAS I'M SOUTH
WEST MUST BE PLANTED

Planting of conifers on 3333, 1850
acres of denuded lands within the
national forests of Arizona and New
Mexico is necessary, according to As
sistant District Forester r. E. Marsh,
if these lands are to support any
forest within the next so to 70 years:
These denuded areas are scattered
over the Carson, Lincoln, Manzano
and Santa F'e Forests in New Mexico
and the Apache and Coconino Forests
in Arizona. At one time these lands
were tirnbered but they were denuded,
for the most part, by fires which oc-
Cured before the creation Of the
forests.
Many years ago, when these de-
structive fires occurred, there was no
thought of preventing them nor of
extinguishing them. They burned un-
controlled and on the areas which
now need reforesting, all timber was
destroyed. For this reason no new
forests ever started and unless the
areas are planted, they will remain
waste lands. The denuded areas are
divided about equally between the,
yellow pine, Douglas fir and spruce
forests.
cat the present time the forest
service has no funds to undertake this
work on large scale, said Mr..
Marsh. eve are preparing, however,
for the time when funds become avail
able by locating the areas which must
be planted, and we have already de-
veloped planting methods in the
southwest to such an extent, that we
feel reasonably sure that successful
planting can be done.
planting in the southwest is ex-
pensive )" Continued Mr.. Marsh, ut
is estimated that ON large scale it
will cost. about $500 per acre for
stock and field planting. With such
costs and rather poor climatic condit-
ions for forest growth, it is difficult
to justify planting on the basis of
direct financial (stumpage) returns
alone.
"The greastest justification for
planting is probably the need of the
greatest possible acreage of forest for
watershed protection purposes. The
need for an increased supply of timber
products is also great. Situated at
great distances from other regions of
supply, the southwest with its in
creasing need for forest products,
must rely so far as possible, upon its
own resources, which should be kept
at the highest practicable state of pro-
ductivity. Even at best some supplies
will have to be imported"
Among the projects listed as those
deserving first attention in a planting
program are the western yellow pine
heavily out-over areas Immediately
south of Flagstaff, Douglas fir areas
on the Lincoln, the burned spruce area
on the San Francisco peaks, and
Douglas fir and spruce areas on the
Carson, Santa Fe and Apache forests
One of the greatest difficulties in
the way of planting on really adj
equate scale is the labor situation.
The planting season is short a month
ately, the western yellow pine seasor
preceded the Douglas fir and spruce
It is estimated that crew of rs men
can plant $50 acres in month. II
is no small job ON most of our forests
to gather a crew of % men for such
short period for this sort of work
Accordingly, it is estimated that fol
some years, 1000 acres equally divided
between western yellow pine and the
other types win be all that we SHOULD
undertake Later it is hoped that this
rate can be CONSIDERABLY increased
This would involve two nurseries.
since western yellow pine stock canno'
be produced at the same place witt
Douglas fir and spruce. Ft. Vale!
north of Flagstaff is probably the
most favorable location for the west
ern yellow pine nursery.