NOTES AND COMMENT 



The report of the Office of Forest Investigations of the United States 

 Forest Service for the fiscal year 1916 describes the recent results of 

 the investigative work which has been under way for several years. 

 There has been a slight decrease in reforestation experiments and a 

 greater attention to fire protection and excessive erosion. A study is 

 being made of chmatic conditions and the moisture of the forest fitter 

 in connection with the danger of fires; and of the influence of vegetation, 

 topography, wind and other factors on the spread of fires. Added to 

 the injury which erosion inflicts upon the forest itself is the further 

 harm that comes from the silting up of reservoirs and irrigation canals, 

 which are usually fed from National Forests. Both remedial and pre- 

 ventive measm'es are being taken to reduce erosion, particularly by the 

 proper control of grazing. Some very definite results have now been 

 secured for the guidance of work in planting and reforestation. For 

 most trees, and in the majority of localities, planting has been found 

 more successful than direct seeding. It has also been found that seeds 

 produced in a given locality are better for use in that place than seeds 

 imported from elsewhere. All phases of nursery practice, including 

 selection, planting and germination of seeds, treatment of seedlings, 

 and transplanting have now been placed on a thoroughly scientific 

 basis, and it is possible to plant certain well studied trees with assurance 

 of high percentages of &urvival. The study of the climatic conditions 

 in various forests types is now being pursued at all of the Forest Experi- 

 ment Stations, receiving the most attention at 12 localities in the central 

 Rocky Mountain region in the vicinity of the Fremont Experiment 

 Station. Atmospheric and soil temperature, soil moisture and pre- 

 cipitation are being observed at aU of the stations, and evaporation, 

 wind velocity, and sunshine at some of them. Great interest will 

 attach to the results of this work, from which it will be possible to learn 

 the chmatic requirements of some of the leading types of natural vegeta- 

 tion in the western states. The investigations mentioned, and numer- 

 ous minor ones which are reported, show that the Investigative Office 

 of the Forest Service is engaged in work which combines the greatest 

 practicality and national importance with a high degree of scientific 



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