HARDWOOD PLANTING IN OWENS VALLEY, CALI- 

 FORNIA 



By L. T. Larsen 



Much interest has been shown in the hardwood planting of the 

 middle west. Probably few people, however, are aware that the 

 Timber Culture Act of March 3, 18?3, which prompted much of 

 the hardwood planting in Nebraska and Kansas, was responsible 

 for similar work in the arid regions of Southern California. 



Considerable planting was done 22 to 30 years ago in Owens 

 Valley in compliance with this act, and the plantations which 

 have received proper care have done remarkably well. Only a 

 few species were planted at that time, however, and in the spring 

 of 1911 the Forest Service experimented with a large number 

 of eastern hardwoods to determine which species are best adapted 

 to that region. 



Very little natural tree growth occurs in Owens Valley and 

 the increasing demand for fuel and fence post material has re- 

 sulted in the cutting of most of the accessible timber in the sur- 

 rounding region. In consequence, there is a marked shortage of 

 such material in the valley and prices are very high. 



Owens Valley lies in east-central California. It is long and 

 narrow and has a northwest-southeast trend. The Sierra Nevada 

 Mountains form the west wall of the valley and the Inyo and 

 White Mountains the east wall. The floor of the valley ranges 

 from 2 to 8 miles in width and its length, from the Mono Divide 

 to the south end of Owens Lake, is 120 miles. The elevation 

 of the valley floor ranges from about 8,000 feet above sea level 

 at the north to 3600 feet at Owens Lake, the lowest point of the 

 valley. 



The Sierra Nevada Range is of granitic formation, and the 

 soil resulting from the disintegration of the rocks varies in 

 texture from a silt to a gravel. The White Mountain range is 

 built up of a thick series of sedimentary rocks and the soil along 

 the western slope of this mountain range is a gravel, sand or 

 fine silt. By far the greater part of the soil consists of a coarse 

 sand at the surface with an admixture of silt at a depth of 3 to 

 4 feet. Occasionally, at a depth varying between a few inches and 

 several feet, there is encountered a hardpan composed of fine 

 silt. The soil of the bottomlands along the river contains con- 



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