The Coconino sun., 1925-09-04

tSiGtiNC W fA14EOitd > SCdlE forest Idt1QS
is reprinted from his article in the
Journal of Forestry.
The state of Arizona has land
surface of 72,838, 400 acres, or about
equal to the combined area of all the
New England states (except Rhode
Island) and New York. Within Ne
state there is a wide range of eleva-
ton, from less than 100 feet above sea
level near Luna to 1861 feet on the
San Francisco peaks. More than half
the area of the state has an eleva-
ton OF over 5000 feet. All the life
zones are represented, except the hu-
mid tropical, from the Boreal-C Cana
dian, through the Transition, Upper
Sonoran, Lower Sonoran to the Arid
Tropical, all of which are reflected
even more distinctly in the flora.
Three Characteristic photographic re-
gions are to be noted, the Colorado
plateau, mountain, and plains or
desert region. The Colorado plateau
(over 5000 feet in elevation) includes
some 80 million acres, the mountain
$4,000 to 5000 feet) some II million
acres, and the plains or desert (below
5000 feet) some 25 million. Arizona s
principal timbered area is found
within the Colorado plateau region,
which includes the Coconino forest of
some 3,040.000 acres, part of the
largest unbroken pine forest in
America. To one unfamiliar with the
state it will probably be a surprise
to know that 19 per cent of the area
of Arizona IS forest land, or ii mil
hon acres, of which approximately g.
100000 acres are of the saw-timber
type within national forests and ap-
pfoXimately 100000 acres of saw
timber IN Indian reservations. Gen
orally speaking, her saw-timber for
ests are found at elevations from 1000
to II 800 feet; below 1000 and down
10 approximately 1000 feet the wood
land type (pinon and juniper occurs.
Historical
BY the act Of congress of February
Is, 1881, the territory of Arizona,
(along with the existing territories of
Dakota, Montana, Idaho and Wyorn-
ing) received a grant of 72 sections
(46,678.60 acres1 of land ''for the use
and support of university" Arizona
was not, however, TO gain title until
she became state, which She did BY
the Enabling act of June 20, 1910.
Under this latter act, Arizona was the
recipient of 100000 acres additional
of public land of which 100000 acres
were granted for the state university.
This article deals, however, entirely
with the 72 sections granted under the
act of 1881, which area was to be Sc
lected from the surveyed, unreserved.
non-mineral lands Of the state. The
selection was made in 1882 by a com
mission authorized by the territorial
legislature and under the supervision
of superintendent of Public Instruc-
tion M. H.. Sherman and w. N. Kelly.
register of the U. S. land office at
Prescott. And here a tribute might
well be paid to the sagacity and vision
of this commission and the men who
made the field locations for their care
in keeping the best interests of Ari-
zona in mind, for be it said that they
some of the choicest timber.
sections of the entire Colorado plateau
iii northern Arizona Of the 46,67S.68
acres to which the territory was en-
titled and which the commission Sc
lected, the federal government through
its department of interior rejected s.
869.S6 acres (Which the state later
lost), leaving 5842 sections or SO, ,79O.-
IA acres of some of the best western
yellow pine timber in Arizona, all
within Coconino county. The area
chosen was not in compact body but
the sections were intcrmingled with
government and railroad grant sec
tionS through eight townships and
were estimated to have contained ,ap-
proximately 350,000,0G0 feet board
of yellow pine, accessible to
the main line of the Santa Fe rail-
road and on the whole fairly easy to
log. Having no title to these univer-
sity sections, the territory could make
little or no use of them from 1881 un-
I'll AHgast II, 1898, when President
Mckinley included much of the tim
bered portion of the Coconino forest
in the San Francisco mountains forest
reserve.
This region being an important live
stock one, the territory had been able 4
10 derive some small returns from the
lease of certain of these sections TO
stockmen for ranch headquarters and
pastures. On the other hand the ter
ritory had during these years spent !
nothing on these lands, the
federal government through the forest
service (since 1898) having given
these sections protection from fire, in
voluntarily perhaps, because inter-
mingled with government lands, with
in what later became to be known as
the Coconino and Tusayan national
forests.
By the Enabling act of 1910 Ari-
zona, now a state, became the owner
in fee simple of 36790 acres of as
good pine timber land as to be found
in the southwest.
Arizona's entry into statehood was
by the holding of a constitu-
Lional convention This was followed
m 1912 by the session of its first
during which among the
various state bottles created was
state land commission to be made up
Of three members The commission
by the governor was very
fortunate III having as its chairman a
man whose firm convictions on forest
and wise use of state
lands has subsequently meant much
10 Arizona.
The commissions first task was to
examine the states new land heritage
and on the basis of what>they found