The Winslow mail., 1925-02-27
BOUNDAR OF
THREE NATIONAL
FORESTS CHANGED

A million acres of national for
est land comprising five ranger
districts of the national forest be-
come part of the Apache forest and
a half million acres of the Apache
pass to the Crook forest in a new
forest boundary alignment estab-
lished by President Coolidge in a
proclamation issued January %,
according to District Forester F. G.
w. Pooler, who believes the changes
which are to be effective March I,
will accomplish distinct advantage
in forest administration
Changes in the boundaries of the
Datil, Apache and Crook national
forests have been made by Presi-
dent Coolidge at the request of the
forest service for the sake of econ
omy and convenience of admins
tration. The new boundaries con-
form to topographic features and
Will consolidate natural grazing
and timber units instead of such
units being divided by state or
other imaginary separating lines.
Changes in administration, the dis
trict forester states, will be made
effective March 1.
Approximately a million acres
are being taken from the Datil for
est and added to the Apache for
est. The area is in western New
Mexico between the San Augustine
To- I,O
state line. 1t is in the general
drainage of the Tularosa, San Fran
cisco and Blue rivers and is brok-
en- by the high, rough San Fran
cisco, Gallo and Saliz mountains
and the west canyons of the Tula-
rosas. The new boundary line be-
tween the Datil and Apache forest
follows the crest of the Tularosa
mountains southwesterly through
Eagle and Apache Peaks and along
the Sheep basin divide.
Five ranger districts known as
the Luna, Reserve, Mangas, Jewett
and Tularosa districts are involved
in the million acre interforest
transfer. These with their district
rangers, the district forester states
will be under charge of the forest
supervisor at Springerville, Ari-
zona, beginning March 1. 1t is be-
lieved that the work of these dis
tricts can be supervised with
greater economy and efficiency
from Springerville than from Mag
dalena, the headquarters of the Da-
til forest.
With the transfer of the western
portion of the Datil forest to the
Apache, the Datil drops in size
from the largest national forest in
the continental United States with
three million acres to the third
largest in the southwest. 1t will
still have about two million acres,
however, and will be easier of ad-
ministration while the addition to
{ the Apache will tend to balance
that forest with other forests of
the southwest by raising it's area
to 1,6S9,000 acres.
The presidents proclamation
transfers to the Crook forest all
of that portion of the Apache for
est, which is south of the Mogollon
Indian reservation and the Arizona
New Mexico state line. The area
consists of about a half million
acres of high plateau country in
the general drainage territory of
the San Francisco and Blue rivers.
1t is divided into two administrative
ranger districts which with their
district rangers will be under di-
rection of the forest supervisor at
Stafford, Arizona, after March L.
The new addition to the Crook for
est according to Mr.. Pooler, will
bring the area of that forest up to
1,432000 acres and will place the
Crook in proportionate size and re-
lative Importance with the other
thirteen national forests in Arizona
and New Mexico.
The new addition to the Crook
forest is important watershed, tim
ber, and grazing territory. Much
lof the water that is used for ir-
rigation in the lower valleys either
originates on the area or flows
through it. 1t contains about $50
million feet of saw timber chiefly
western yellow pine of which one
hundred million feet are mature
and ready for cutting. The princi-
pal market is among the mining
towns to the south so that the
transfer of administration to the
Stafford office will be distinct ad-
vantage in supervising timber sales
over trying to handle them from
Springerville. The area is also of
great importance to the livestock
industry. In times past the coun-
try below the Mogol1on Rim has
furnished forage for as many as
$4,000 head of cattle This number
has had to be cut down, however
owing to threatened damage to the
Watershed through overgraZing.