The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1934-04-20

MYu up in the commandment aSeni1 which haad all
PLANT treesw
That commandment has special
significance this year. for it has been needed
by several thousand husky young Americans to
such good effect that before the year is ended
they will have planted some 100000 acres with
more than 200000000 trees! Fifty years from
now this will be merchantable timber worth
100000 even at present low prices. But the
timber value of these trees is not their only
value Much of this gigantic planting prof.
ect has a dual value in that it provides pro-
lection of watersheds, checks erosion and plays
important part in flood cOntrol-all Of them
conservation problems of great moment in this
country.
Who are these young Americans who have
DONE and are doing, this worthwhile Job? They
are the members of Civilian Conservation corps,
called into being last year in a special message
20 congress by President Roosevelt and their
tree-panting activity, important as it is, is only
one part of the Emergency Conservation Work
program and represents only about per cent
of the CCC work.
The far-reaching results of that program are
indicated in a recent report of Director Robert
Fechner, covering the first six months of the
CCC which appeared in a recent issue of the
Forestry News Digest, published by the Amerf-
can Tree association. He produces figures which
show that the Civilian Conservation corps put
in 4OO9132 days fighting forest fires. The men
put in POP man days hunting for missing per-
sons. These items, of course, did not come under
the mapped program. One big item In the pro-
gram of the 1922 camps planting, in which
25.7506 acres were covered. In addition, 67,7S4
man DAYS were devoted to tree nursery work.
Included in the program affecting six hundred
million acres of forest land are:
Removal Of infammable fire hazards from
1892 acres.
Construction of 1O,05S miles of truck trails.
Construction of 5,058 miles of telephone lines.
Construction of 1917 miles of fire breaks
Clearing $500 miles of roadsides fire pre-
vention move
Construction of LOO lookout towers, lookout
houses and tool houses.
Completion of insect pest control over SOO,15O
acres
Completion of tree and plant disease control
operations on 1675,911 acres.
Rodent control campaigns completed on 1885,
e1S acres.
Work performed under the general title Of
forest stand improvement included thinning for
est areas to improve the stand Of valuable trees,
tree planting and construction Of needed build
ings and bridges. The general aim of this forest
stand improvement was to put the stand Of
timber into such condition that the desirable
trees will make faster growth and the stand as
whole will produce material of better quality.
Under this general heading, work projects COM
pleted included:
Forest stand improvement on 2051 59 acres.
Planting of trees upon 25,750 acres and the
partial completion of tree planting on an addi-
tional 54,115 acres
Completion of 67,784 man days of work at
nurseries.
Construction of 1920 bridges, BAT headquar-
tiers buildings 30S tool houses and AZ barns
Erosion control, the third major classification
of work projects, developed into one of the
most important phases of the program. Major
work performed in this field included
Completion of erosion control on 3SS,O34 acres
and the partial completion of control work on
an additional Isl, 500 acres.
Construction Of 6S45O erosion control dams to
regulate stream flow and to check the run-of
from heavy rains.
Revegetation work was completed on 1884
acres.
Soil erosion and soil saving programs have
proved of great Importance to all the co-operat-
ing services in this work. The forest service
with it's 100000 acres of forest land, the
national park service, the Indian service con-
trolling several million acres Of Indian reserva-
tons, as well state and private officials on
whose land the conservation workers have oper-
ated, all agree that the work done to save top
Soil has been extremely valuable.
Forest service officials refer to this type Of
work as perhaps as important any done. Ma
tional parks officials refer to the erosional con-
troll program of the most important
undertaken by the CCC.
F. A. Scox chief of the forest service, states
the work performed by the CCC youths and
veterans has accomplished much needful and
valuable work in the national forests has served
to bring the American public closer to forestry
itself and to conservation generally. He points
out that fire losses more than cut In half
in national forests during the first ten months
of 1888 and attributes much of this saving to
the Geo boys. Officials stated that less than
10000 acres of national forest land was burned
over last year prior to November l, compared
with an annual average for the five preceding
years of 512,793 acres.
Arno B. Cammerer, director of the office of
national parks, buildings and reservations, joins
with Silcox in praisng the fire prevention activi-
ties of the men. He points out the men were
largely responsible for reduction of the forest
fire loss in the parks of 81 per cent over the
same period of 1882. A tremendous amount of
conservation and general improvement work also
was accomplished in national and state parks.
improvements required for years. but fmpos-
sible of entire achievement for ten twenty
years in the national park areas, and probably
not that soon in state park areas have been
complished or are In the process of accom-
plishment AS a result. generations to come
will derive social benefits from great recrea-
tiona areas almost undreamed OF when these
reservations were established
Removal of brush and dead timber from
tional and state park areas not only reduced the
fire hazard but enhanced the scenic value of the
parks Trails were extended, roadsides improved
through planting and erosion control. camp
grounds for the private motorist laid out and
6rapIooos apd othor racreational facilities for