ern larch are adapted for regrowth by the 

 conditions that follow a fire. Mature trees 

 with thick bark are protected against the 

 fire's heat, and seed cones that were on the 

 ground at the time of the fire break open. 

 Unless fire burns into the ground, steriliz- 

 ing it, enough seeds are left for regrowth. 

 In the mineral soil exposed by the fire, the 

 seeds germinate, and start to form new 

 trees. 



Insects and Disease 



Just as deadly to trees as fire, insects 

 like the mountain pine beetle can kill whole 

 stands of trees. The pine beetle attacks ma- 

 ture trees; another pest, the spruce 

 budworm, attacks trees of all ages. The re- 

 sulting dead trees are a fire hazard, as well 

 as a loss of valuable forestland. Great dam- 

 age can also be caused by the pine and fir 

 engraver beetles, the Douglas fir tussock 

 moth, and the larch casebearer. 



Trees sometimes get diseases such as 

 rust and fungus. Trees attacked by the 

 parasite, dwarf mistletoe, develop growths 

 in their branches, called witches' brooms. 



Grazing 



Grazing for livestock is another impor- 

 tant forest use in Montana, both on public 

 and private land (figure 4). About 3.7 mil- 

 lion acres of public lands on our ten na- 



Mtintana Department of Comnifrce 



H- NATIONAL FORESTS 



When did the idea of national 

 forests get started? Montana's Lew- 

 is and Clark National Forest, one of 

 the early "forest reserves," was set 

 aside in 1877. Others were es- 

 tablished in 1891, but it wasn't un- 

 til 1907 that these reserves became 

 known as national forests. 



Before that time, many of the 

 hardwood forests in the eastern 

 United States had already been cut 

 down for lumber, firewood, and 

 charcoal. In the Pacific northwest, 

 the "timber barons" were logging 

 huge tracts of unclaimed forest, 

 leaving the land stripped. The first 

 forest reserves were set aside to 

 preserve and manage other 

 woodlands that were being threat- 

 ened by destruction. So today's na- 

 tional parks and grasslands, 

 wildlife and bird refuges, wilder- 

 ness areas, and many other pre- 

 serves became a part of our 

 national inheritance. 



Figure 4. Cattle on the Range 



tional forests* can be used by ranchers 

 who have grazing permits or leases. It was 

 once a common sight to see cattle and 

 sheep being driven along some of our 

 highways to summer pasture in June and 

 back to the ranches again in September. 



Cattle and other livestock can share the 

 summer range with deer and elk with few 

 problems. Livestock aren't moved to the 

 ranges until the grass has grown high 

 enough for grazing. If spring "green-up" 

 comes late, the permitted grazing season is 

 shorter. 



Recreation 



Montana has over sixteen million acres 

 in her ten national forests, with many 

 campgrounds, hiking and riding trails, and 

 scenic highways. Two national parks also 

 attract visitors. Glacier Park is in the high 

 peaks of the northwest corner of the state, 

 and part of Yellowstone Park lies in the 

 lodgepole pine forests along Montana's 

 southwest border (figure 5). 



The forested western mountains offer 

 both anglers and hunters many hours of 

 pleasure. Most of Montana's blue ribbon 

 trout streams rise in these mountains, and 

 some of the finest big game hunting can be 

 found here. also. 



