108 PRACTICAL FORESTRY IN 



necessary in a few years, even though the trees be small, will 

 do for the woodpile. Trees which grow rapidly and at the 

 same time produce good wood are, of course, preferable. If 

 they also sprout from the stump, a little care will maintain 

 the supply indefinitely. 



The choice of species for a woodlot must be governed to a 

 great extent by the location. Many portions of the treeless 

 areas in this region are situated at a high altitude where the 

 climatic conditions are severe and frosts are common through- 

 out every month of the year. In such locations only the most 

 hardy trees will succeed. Other areas are deficient in moist- 

 ure, and where this deficiency is so great as to prohibit the 

 growing of agricultural crops by dry farming it is useless 

 to attempt growing trees without irrigation. 



Probably the tree most commonly planted in treeless regions 

 has been some species of cottonwood. Lombardy poplar and 

 Balm of Gilead have been great favorites. Cottonwood grows 

 rapidly and is hardy against frost, but requires a never-failing 

 supply of water within five to twenty feet of the surface. Be- 

 cause of its demands for moisture it will not grow on uplands, 

 but thrives along water courses or where there is plentiful 

 supply of moisture below the surface. Its fuel value is not 

 high, though the quantity of its wood production compensates 

 for its poor quality, nor does it make good fence posts. Where 

 quick growth is the main consideration, however, it is a good 

 tree to plant. The varieties known as Xorway and Carolina 

 poplar are the best. 



Green ash and hackberry are also hardy against both cold 

 and moisture, but of slow growth. Their wood is durable in 

 contact with the soil, making them suitable for fence posts. 

 Where it succeeds black locust combines many of the desirable 

 qualities to the highest degree. It is a rapid grower, makes 

 excellent fence posts and has high fuel value. It is not as 

 hardy against frost as cottonwood and ash, and while it has 

 been planted su* cessfully in sheltered locations on high 

 plateaus, its success where frosts occur during the summer 

 months is problematical. A closely related species, honey 



