EARLY CUTTINGS IN THE LODGEPOLE 

 PINE TYPE OF ROCKY MOUNTAINS 



By E, R, HODSON 



LONG before the organization of production unless burned over soon af- 

 the present National Forests ter cutting. On some of the cuttings it 

 there were heavy cuttings in does not seem to make much difference 

 many parts of the West. Where min- whether seed trees are near at hand or 

 ing centers were developed these cut- not. Even on narrow strips there are 

 tings were particularly severe as the often no seedlings. The soil is of a 

 illustrations with this article show, limy nature and grass is quite abundant, 

 Around the Butte mining center in the tending to form a sod as soon as the 

 loclgepole pine region the cuttings were stand was opened up, which perhaps ex- 

 clear and on a large scale. The age of plains the lack of reproduction, 

 the cutting varies from about seven to Fig. i shows a clear cutting of lodge- 

 twenty-five years. Near Butte itself pole pine on a north slope. The stand 

 there was some cutting done even prior was cut fifteen years ago and the repro- 

 to that time, but the majority of the duction which has come in here is about 

 larger areas were cut from ten to fif- the best to be found on unburned cut- 

 teen years ago. tings. The brush is in windrows and 



The cutting was started at the stream very few seedlings have come up 

 and proceeded up the slope, clearing through it. Although the general ap- 

 everything as it went to the top or so far pearance is good, especially at the lower 

 as it was practicable to haul the tim- part of the slope, the density is nowhere 

 ber. The brush was almost invariably sufficient to insure a good quality future 

 piled in long, unbroken windrows fifty stand of loclgepole pine, 

 to seventy feet apart, the width of the Fig. 2. A seven-year-old cutting in 

 windrows being about twenty feet, the lodgepole pine type. There is prac- 

 There was then by this method twenty tically no reproduction except the few 

 to thirty per cent, of the area covered suppressed seedlings present before cut- 

 by brush ; and, as the photographs ting. The conditions here are not fav- 

 show, no reproduction has come up orable as it is near the lower limit of 

 through it. lodgepole. 



In all of the views shown the cuttings Fig. 3. Clear cuttings with some 



have never been burned and the repro- unfinished strips in the center and to 



duction on them is quite typical of un- the right side. This cutting was made 



burned lodgepole pine clear cut areas. seven years ago and is on limy soil 



It will be noted that it is quite thin for on a northeast slope near the lower 



lodgepole and it is also seen that the limit of timber. Very little reproduc- 



young growth is much more thrifty in tion has come in. 



the more favorable places toward the Fig. 4. A windrow of brush on a fif- 



bottom of the slope and near the small teen-year-clear cutting of lodgepole 



side gullies. The thinness of the repro- pine. The brush is very little decayed 



duction and the situations on which it and scarcely a single seedling has been 



thrives show pretty clearly that an un- able to come up through it. Clearly in 



burned cutting is not an especially fav- these cases the brush has been no help 



orable one for reproduction. In the to the reproduction while it is always 



younger cuttings there is very little re- to some extent a menace. When it is 

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