FOREST ROADS AND TRAILS 



509 



A SAMPLE OF MANY COTTONWOODS SIXTEEN INCHES IN DIAMETER 



AND LARGER CUT BY BEAVERS. 



Forest roads as a rule are single tracked 

 and from 8 to 10 feet in width with a 

 maximum grade of 6 to 7 per cent. The 

 figures given by Air. Greeley, of the 

 United States Forest Service, for the 

 cost of roads in District I, are from 

 $100.00 to $1,000.00 per mile with an 

 average cost of about $500.00 per mile. 

 Just at present, trails are of much 

 more importance to the United States 

 forests than roads, because they are 

 much cheaper and can be built in more 

 inaccessible country. Very few roads 

 have been built by the Forest Service, 

 while a great many miles of trail have 

 been constructed during the last few 

 years. The great need of forests at 

 present is an adequate fire protection, 

 for which the trail will suffice, as far 

 as the traveling over the country is 



concerned. In 1910 an appropriation 

 of $600,000.00 was made for improve- 

 ments, of which a considerable sum 

 was used for roads and trails, as 2,225 

 miles of trails and 320 miles of roads 

 were built. In 1911 this appropriation 

 was cut down to $275,000.00. Plans 

 are now prepared for individual forests, 

 which call for the building of over 

 30,000 miles of trail and 7,000 miles of 

 road at an estimated cost of $3,000,- 

 000.00. Several of the States have plans 

 for road and trail construction, notably 

 Wisconsin, Minnesota and a few of the 

 eastern States. In the majority of 

 States, however, forestry work does not 

 include road and trail building. 



*By courtesy of the Forest Club Annual, 

 University of Nebraska. 



OFF YEAR FOR APPLES 



This is an off year for apples in New Jersey, according to the fruit grju'rrs and fanners. 

 Thev say that the same trees that were so heavily laden with young fruit at this time last 

 year that their boughs lucre bent almost to the breaking point are now almost bare 0/1 

 "apples. There is no reason for the prospective shortage c.vcept that the blossoms failed to 

 form this spring. 



