abstracts: forestry 15 



FORESTRY. — -Reforestation on the national forests. William T. Cox. 

 Bulletin Forest Service, No. 98. 1911. 



Next to the importance of protecting the national forests from fire 

 and disposing of the mature timber to secure good natural reproduction 

 is the task of starting forest growth upon the vast areas of untillable 

 mountain lands which have been rendered unproductive by fires, 

 insects, and other agencies. Of this class of land within the national 

 forests there are approximately 7,500,000 acres which must be arti- 

 ficially sown or planted. The policy of the Forest Service in artificial 

 reforestation on the national forests is first, to conduct experiments 

 to find out what can be done, and what is the best way to do it; second, 

 to reforest by direct seeding where this is possible; and third, to plant 

 nursery seedlings where direct seeding is too uncertain. In selecting 

 sites for artificial reforestation preference is usually given in the following- 

 order: First, watersheds of streams important for irrigation or municipal 

 water supply; second, lands which produce heavy stands of quick- 

 growing trees; third, lands suitable for the production of especially 

 valuable species, or where conditions are favorable for improving the 

 character of the forest; fourth, sites which offer good opportunities for 

 object lessons to the public in the practice of forestry; and fifth, denuded 

 lands which have no special claim for attention except that they will 

 grow some kind of trees. The Forest Service itself collects most of 

 the seed of native tree species needed for planting on the national forests. 

 This is done usually for considerably less than the seed would cost if 

 purchased from regular collectors of seed growers. During the autumn 

 of 1910 it collected 107,780 pounds of native tree seed, and purchased 

 54,100 pounds of the seed of European species, a total of 161,780 pounds. 

 There are three methods of collecting cones; from felled trees, from 

 standing trees, and from squirrel hordes. The cones are dried and the 

 seed extracted promptly after collection. Some cones can be opened 

 by spreading them on canvas sheets to dry in the sun. Other species 

 must be taken to the drying house and opened by artificial heat. 



Of the two methods of artificial reforestation — -direct seeding and 

 planting — the first offers for certain species on many of the national 

 forests by far the greater promise of success. In general, hardy trees, 

 the seed of which is easily and cheaply obtained, can be reproduced 

 satisfactorily by direct seeding, while species like red pine, which bear 

 small crops of seed that are difficult to collect, can be reproduced 

 more cheaply by planting. W. T. C. 



