A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 1479 



of all species of trees and classes of products, instead of culling the 

 forest for a certain product only. 



In the oak-chestnut-yellow poplar type of the Appalachian 

 Mountain country intensive forestry under private ownership seems 

 less practicable than in the types mentioned above, because of rough 

 topography, slow growth, and scattered distribution of the good sites. 

 However, over the limited range of soils where yellow poplar occurs 

 the stands including this species are of outstanding productive capac- 

 ity and value. Perpetuation of the furniture industry, which de- 

 pends on this type for much raw material, is another incentive for 

 practicing intensive forestry. But a much-expanded policy of public 

 acquisition seems to be prerequisite to the practice of intensive 

 forestry on any great area in this type. This is perhaps less true in 

 West Virginia, where extensive forest stands containing much black 

 cherry and a large area of farm woods may lend themselves to inten- 

 sive management. In this type as elsewhere, the areas allocated for 

 intensive forestry should be selected on the basis of good stocking, 

 good site, and accessibility. 



NORTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAINS 



In the northern Rocky Mountains, particularly in the western 

 larch- western white pine types, the immediate great problem is to 

 stop devastation. In northern Idaho and Montana there is less than 

 8 million acres of private forest land to more than 22 million acres of 

 national forest; but the private land is made up almost entirely of 

 valleys, benches, and foothills with moderate slopes and good soil, 

 while the national forest lands lie higher on the mountains, on steeper 

 and less productive sites. On both classes of land extensive forestry 

 methods are usually the most that can be put into practice, although 

 the Forest Service has invested from $20 to $50 an acre on some areas 

 in disposing of overmature hemlock, cedar, and white fir to build up 

 the productivity of the site. 



In northern Idaho, the average acre of private commercial timber 

 is now about five times as valuable as the average acre of national-forest 

 timber in the commercial timber zone. This may be taken as in 

 some degree an index of the relative value of land in the two ownership 

 classes for intensive forestry. Intensification of forest practice in this 

 region should apparently be directed principally to the most pro- 

 ductive lands, which at the present moment are mostly in private 

 ownership although they are rapidly being abandoned as they are 

 cut over. Except for one outstanding instance, intensive forestry 

 has made no beginning under private control; public leadership is 

 apparently necessary. 



SOUTHERN ROCKY MOUNTAINS 



The ponderosa pine, lodgepole pine, and spruce-fir forests of 

 Rocky Mountains and adjoining plateaus are not highly productive, 

 in general, nor are they very asccessible to national markets. Their 

 greatest value is in satisfying local timber needs, furnishing a reserve 

 for possible future national needs, and, what is perhaps equally 

 important, serving various noncommodity uses such as recreation, 



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