NATIVE AND PLANTED TIMBER OF IOWA. 



INTRODUCTION. 



The increasing demand for agricultural land in Iowa has caused a 

 very rapid removal of woodlots and groves during the past five years, 

 which has greatly reduced the home supply of posts, fuel, and farm 

 repair material. The prices of posts, poles, and lumber imported 

 from other States have risen from one-third to one-half in three 

 or four years, and since the supply of white cedar and red cedar is 

 limited, the price of posts at least will continue to increase. This 

 high cost has led many residents of the State to take steps toward 

 managing their farm woodlots so as to obtain greater returns from 

 them by growing their own fence posts and repair material. This 

 tendency toward the practice of forestry largely brought about the 

 Bixby forestry bill, passed by the legislature in 1907, which provides 

 that lands occupied by woodlots and groves shall be given a taxable 

 value of $1 per acre, if certain conditions of the bill are complied with. 



PURPOSE AND METHOD OF INVESTIGATION. 



To aid in the movement toward practical forestry in Iowa, investi- 

 gations were made during 1905 by the Forest Service to determine 

 the extent, character, and value of the native farm woodlots and 

 planted groves. In the studies of natural tree growth, the main 

 water courses were followed. Investigations were made of the rela- 

 tion of topography and soil to existing tree growth, and of the effect 

 of the previous conditon and treatment of the forest upon its present 

 extent, composition, reproduction, and enemies. 



In the studies of the planted timber two routes were planned, one 

 in the northern part of the State and one in the southern, in accord- 

 ance with the answers to letters and question blanks which had been 

 sent out. Much valuable information regarding the planted timber 

 of the State was obtained through these blanks. 



Groves and windbreaks were examined to find out what species 

 had been planted and how these species had succeeded under widely 

 varied conditions of soil, moisture, and situation. The rate of 

 growth of various species was also determined. 



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