1840 



TREES 



forevi 



it eventually merges into tlie great body of forest trees 

 lying on tlJe easterly side of tiie Mississippi valley. 

 The principal trees which have come upon the Plains by 

 this route are the common red cedar papaw half a 

 dozen willows one cottonwood basswood two or three 

 elms, hackberrj mulberry three ashes wild apple 

 four species ot hawthorns Juni.berr\ wild cherry 

 choke cherr\ wild plum coffee bein hone\ locust red 

 bud, sycamore two specie'!, of buckthorns buckeje one 

 maple, box el ler sumach tn i species ot n iliiuts five 

 or six hickorie luii i t u il ii u\\ 1 I lu Uech 

 and one birch I nt i n i i t ti h i\ m tioiii 

 the Rocky M )uiit m l i i i Ith li a in I much 

 less impression ii| u tin tit t th 1 I uiis thin 

 those which came tiom the e istern tortsts In this list 

 are the bull pme the western led cedar four species of 

 cottonwoods the buffalo berry a maple andtwobirche 



Although th - 



relatively greit if i I i 

 sidered in re^ ii 1 i i i 

 is danger th it I 



by our people in 



of cutting down fun t ti 



wherever found much o 



this small forest area 



will be destroyed It 



is much easiei 



preserve in ir 



of fore 



than to create 



anew. First 



all forest fires 



must be kept 



down. Where 



a ma 



wood 



adjoins the 



open praine 



fire - guards 



should be 



made so that 



the flres 



not sweep into 



the forest 



growth. The 



greatest d e 



stroyer of thi 



forests of tl 



Plains in the past 



has been hre as i 



swept over the 



prairies into wood 



land. Second it is ib 



solutely necessary 



keep out certain kinds of 



stock. Swme, if herded m 



large numbers, will inevitably 



destroy the trees. They prevent the 



growth of small trees, and 



ally destroy those of larger growth. 



Cattle, in large numbers, are equally destructive. In fact, 



where the attempt is made to preserve uninjured the trees 



in a forest it is necessary to keep out stock of all kinds, 



excepting possibly during limited portions of the year. 



Third, it is necessary to cut out the trees for use with 



very great care. A forest should be a permanent crop, 



and the cuttings should be so made that the forest as a 



whole is not injured. Trees should be cut here and 



there in such a way that the young trees which are left 



have an opportunity for growing into usable timber. 



Care should be taken to encourage the tendency to 

 spreading which is so strong in nearly all parts of the 

 Plains. With a little care every present living forest 

 area may be made to fxtoiul itself spontaneously, or 

 nearly so. The forest kIi.ihI,: he .fr.-.tnally inclosed by 

 a fence placed at some cli-iim. tr.nn its outer border, 

 leaving a belt of unocciijii. .1 hmd l.rtwren the trees and 

 the fence. This will grow ii], ^y\[\^ ivccds, and mingled 

 with these will be the seedling trees springing from the 

 seeds blown or carried from the forest area. In this 

 way the border of the forest will be gradually extended. 

 This can be helped by plowing up these inclosed belts 



TREES 



of land, giving better opportunity for the starting of 

 seedling trees. With the weeds and little trees will 

 spring up low shrubs of various kinds. These need give 

 no trouble, for this is merely nature s way ot taking 

 possession of the soil Little if an-\ rultintion uf (d be 

 given to such a nursery belt as the h i li li j rin„' 

 up, while unsightly will serie tli I ' i f 



sheltering the little trees ind ev i i wiij 



rise above and choke them out < i i im 



ing a tough sod is hirmful to the lit 1 1 n i i mire 



so than the ordmiry weeds 



There are many plices where ictual planting must be 

 resorted to In looking about for a site for the new for 

 est plantition we must remember that the best condi 

 tions for tree growth ire usualh to be found near the 

 nitural forests Where there lie natural forests the 

 planting should be around then borders so as to extend 

 them m much the sime wa\ is indii ated m the preced 

 mg paragnph m regard to nitural spreading 



there ire no n itural forests at all it is nee 



select the more favorable 



for plintmg Since the nat 



il forests on the Plains oc 



the depressions rather 



an the hill tops or the 



-lopes this should give 



us a hint as to what 



we must do W her 



ever the land slopes 



ne may hnd 

 fivorable condi 

 tioffis for grow 



which 



the pla 



on his 



finds in the nearest forest, 



possible the 



i-y excellent 



to follow, is 1 



;he kinds which he 



ive his planted trees 



ditions as those un- 



der which they grew in the native forest. On the east 

 ern third of the Plains, the walnut, white oak, shell 

 bark hickory, white elm, red elm, hackberry, white ash. 

 wild cherry, catalpa and honey locust are recommended 

 for planting. On the extreme eastern portions border 

 ing the Missouri river, many more kinds can be planted, 

 but as we pass westward toward the borders of the 

 Sand Hill region the list grows smaller. On the cen- 

 tral Plains the list is reduced, and also somewhat 

 changed in species. The two elms may be planted, as 

 also the hackberry, the green ash in place of the white 

 ash, wild cherry, honey locust, and in many places the 

 bull-pine. On the western Plains, especially that por- 

 tion lying west of the main body of the Sand Hills, 

 and having an elevation above the sea of from 3,000 to 

 4,000 feet, the list is still smaller. The white elm is still 

 included, also the hackberry, the bull-pine, and in many 

 places the red cedar. 



The trees mentioned are of the more durable and 

 profitable kinds. But on all parts of the Plains people 



