The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1927-12-15
Forest Service Completes Import
tant Survey of Protection For
ests of Mississippi River
Watershed

ests of Mississippi River
Watershed
The unwise use of forest and
agricultural land is not only ad-
ding to the flood burden of the
Mississippi river but is unneces-
sarily destroying millions of acres
of rich and productive land.
This fact is Clearly set forth in
detailed report just completed by
the Forest Service, United S.aves
Department of Az -iculture, on
'The Protection of Forests of the
Mississippi River Watershed and
Their Influence on Flood Proven
ton" The report has been sub
mitted to Major General Edgar
Jadwin, Chief of Engineer5 U.
s. Army, who is in charge of all
Federal rivers and harbors work.
Compiled under the direction of
Associate Forester E. A. Sher-
man, the report represents an in
tensive study of the entire Missis-
sippi river drainage system to de-
termine the place of forests and
forest use in the great problem OF
food prevention and control. The
study was made an emergency
activity, and involved the investi-
CATION of 70 separate drainage
areas by service peroonnel, as
well as the assembling of mass
of geological, climatic and other
pertinent data covering the 1 a
million square miles of the Missis-
sippi river basin.
Mr.. Shermans report makes it
clear that flood defense measures
in the region threatened by inun-
dation come primarily within the
field of the engineer. The i'm
mediate problem of flood control,
he declares, can be met with the
required promptness only by en-
cheering structures. Activities
designed to improve food condi-
lions by dealing with surface con-
ditions and better land use must
be considered as supplementary.
However," the Associate For
ester states, sit must be recogniz-
ed that back of 10000 square
miles of bottomlands requiring
protection against floods is the
vast area of the remainder of the
Mississippi river basin, each part
of which contributes its quota to
the flood discharges. And back of
the great engineering problem con-
fronting the Army engineers there
is a great problem of land use,
intricate and far-reaching, but
having an important bearing on
the regimen of the stream"
In making the study, the Missis-
sippi system was divided into six
major drainage areas, namely, the
Ohio river, the Upper Mississippi,
the Lower Mississippi: the Mis-
souri,, the Arkansas and White
Rivers, and the Red River-Ou" CHI
tia system. The Mississippi water
shed has always been largely
non-forested area. Originally go
- per cent non-forested, that per-
centage is now 80. The forest
areas include about 100000 square
miles. A very small part of this
total area of forest land is in a
virgin condition. the remainder
being largely cut-over, with 35, 900
square miles so denuded Of forest
or other valuable growth as to be
classified as "waste" or eide
land. 80
Forests, the report states, play
an important part in the conser-
walton of soil and water. They
prevent rapid run-off and erosion,
particularly on steep rough land
by breaking the force of the rain
fall, while the humus of the forest
floor absorbs considerable quaint.
ties of water. The forest also
tends to conserve snowfall and
ameliorate freshet conditions by
spreading the run-off over longer
periods. Particularly important il
the part that trees, underground
and forest litter play in diminish.
ing the destructive force of water
in washing away soil which adds
to the silt burden of streams.
Critical Areas" Ascertained
In its study of the drainage
area of the Mississippi, the For.
est Service classified lands aggre
eating some 283,000 square mile!
as Critical" areas, which by rea
son Of the character Of soil, topo.
graphy, and precipitation, were
heavy contributors to flood conii.
tions. On such areas the character
and density of forest cover has s
direct relation to run-off or sol
erosion, and lack of forests in
creases torrential run-off ant
causes serious erosion. Based OF
their present tendency to hell
prevent floods, $4,000 square
miles Of these critical areas wer,
classed as beneficial, $4,000 as O.
neutral effect, and 144.000 squar.
miles as positively detrimental.
In areas where watershed pro
lection is of prime Importance