FOREST POLICY. 

 FORESTRY CONDITIONS OF IDAHO: 



1. Area: 35,ooo square miles, or 42% of the State, are 

 wooded. 



2. Physiography: Southern third is traversed by the east 

 and west course of the Snake River and consists of barren plains. 

 The northern, wedge-shaped part of the State, contains the moun- 

 tainous Coeur d'Alene region. The Teton and Yellowstone 

 Ranges form the boundary towards Wyoming; the Bitter Root 

 Mountains the boundary towards Montana. The mountains of 

 central Idaho drain southward towards the Snake River, north- 

 ward towards the Salmon River. 



3. Distribution: Southern lava plains, destitute of timber 

 and vegetation, except sage brush. The Salmon River Mountains 

 are unexplored and contain, after Gannett, little timber. The 

 Rockies show yellow pine, Douglas fir, lodgepole pine and west- 

 ern white pine. In the Bitter Root Mountains, Douglas fir and 

 yellow pine prevail below 6,000 feet elevation, lodgepole pine 

 above 6,000 feet elevation. In the extreme north a dense forest 

 cover, originally found, is now badly burned. Here yellow pine 

 and Douglas fir cease to be prevailing; white pine (monticola) and 

 larch (Larix occidentalis) preponderate, numerically and in vol- 

 ume. In the Priest River Mountains three zones may be distin- 

 guished. In the highest zone, above 4,800 feet, balsam (Abies 

 lasiocarpa) and white bark pine preponderate. 



The zone between 2,400 feet and 4,800 feet is the largest and 

 contains white pine and larch. 



In the lowest zone, Douglas fir is mixed with yellow pine, 

 lowland fir and western red cedar. Lodgepole pine is found all 

 over the northern and eastern part of Idaho, taking advantage of 

 heavy fires. Black hemlock, lowland fir and Engelmann's spruce 

 also occur. 



4. Forest ownership: 4,147,200 acres of forest land are 

 reserved. Lumbermen own only 84,000 acres in the lowest zone, 

 with 6,900 feet average stand per acre. Over 200,000 acres lie in 

 the Indian reserves. Over 600,000 acres of forests are attached 

 to farms. 



5. Use: Timber is mostly used for mining props. The 

 mill cut in 1900 was worth $937,000, and consisted largely of yel- 

 low pine. The stumpage is worth $1.09. Logs at mill are worth 



