300 



AMERICAN FORESll^Y 



have a most important function in protecting and regulat- 

 ing streamflow; and because of this and the fact that 

 cutting is impracticable on account of the quality of the 

 timber, such forests arc termed "protection forests" and 

 are held intact. Taking Colorado as an cxam])le, almost 

 one-fifth of the timbered area in the National Forests 



NO SIGN OF CUTTING HERE 



When the brush is burned after a timber cutting there is little to show that there 

 was any cutting. 



lies within the protection stands at the higher altitudes; 

 and by adding to this the areas lower down in the com- 

 mercial stands which are too rough to permit logging, it is 

 safe to say that at the very least one-fourth or one-third 

 of the forested areas, and the most picturesque, will never 

 be encroached upon by the axman. 



Aside from the fact that most of the timber on the 

 more scenically important parts of the National Forests 

 is through its non-commercial character, in no danger 

 from the lumberman. Uncle Sam is going to see that 

 unusual scenic features and recreation possibilities may 

 be of the highest service to their owners — the people — by 

 being kept and developed primarily for their recreation 

 values. For example, the city of Denver has acquired a 

 considerable acreage of foothill timbered land west of the 

 city, which is being rapidly developed as Denver's Moun- 

 tain Park. Excellent roads are being built, camping sites 

 with permanent fireplaces established, shelters erected, 

 and other improvements made to bring out and make 

 usable the recreation opportunities. Thousands of 

 people from Denver and elsewhere motor through this 

 park every fair Sunday and holiday. Alongside this 

 park area is a tract of land within the Pike National 

 Forest which has the same general characteristics and is 

 visited and enjoyed in conjunction with the city's lands. 

 It is the aim of the Foi-est Service to administer this area 

 primarily for the development of its recreation values, 

 since it can serve its most important use in that way. 

 There is a working arrangement with the city officials 



whereby any timber sales applied for will be considered 

 first as to their possible effect on the scenic values of the 

 region. If the timber is well away from the roads, where 

 its cutting could not detract from the esthetic values, the 

 sale will be made; but if travelled roads cross or go near 

 the area, or if it is of special scenic importance, the 

 timber will be preserved intact. 



On such areas, so intensively used for recreation, 

 many of the mature trees, if not deformed or defective, 

 which would be cut in an ordinary sale, have a picturesque 

 character which adds materially to the beauty of the 

 region, and their retention as "scenery" is felt to be fully 

 warranted. Similarly, along important scenic automobile 

 highways which traverse the National Forests, the same 

 rule would be applied to a strip of timber on either side of 



TOUklSlS I.\ THE PIKE NATIONAL FOREST. (. (JLc iK.A 1)( i 



These tourists are in North Cheyenne Canon on a holiday trip. Note the ragged 

 tree with dead limbs at the roadside. If this were removed the reniaining forest 

 growth would be more attractive. Timber sale cuttings would do just this. 



the road, so that the forest may play its part to the fullest 

 extent in making the route attractive. Either the natural 

 protection, or that which is afforded by the policy of the 

 Forest Service, will, then, take care of the great bulk of 

 the timber part of the most important National Forest 

 scenery. Possibly a brief discussion of the way in which 

 the National Forest timber is cut will serve to show that 

 little inroad is ordinarily made on the scenic feature 

 even in the commercial stands. 



Many of the forests of the Northwest have such a 

 dense undergrowth of shrubs and vines that one may 



