128 Forests and Trees 



press. It was then very natural that the only hills in the whole 

 prairie region on which the tree grows should be called Cypress 

 Hills. 



As a timber tree the lodgepole pine has considerable value, 

 more owing to its clean straight trunk than to the quality of 

 the wood. It is easily reproduced from seed, transplants well 

 and grows rapidly. Some seedlings about a foot high were 

 planted in the Normal School grounds in Brandon four years ago 

 and some of them are now seven feet high and producing cones, 

 early cone production being characteristic of the species. The 

 habit of growing tall and slender may make this species cf 

 doubtful value for ornamental purposes, but it undoubtedly has 

 qualities that commend it for reforestation of burned over 

 areas. Its value is well indicated in the following quotation 

 from the report of Mr. T. W. Dwight on the Rocky Mountains 

 Forest Reserve. 



" Locally this is commonly called jack pine, but the true jack 

 pine (Firms Banksiana) does not enter the region under considera- 

 tion. Lodgepole pine is the most abundant tree of the region. In 

 mature stands, it divides the area with spruce and other species 

 but in the widespread second-growth stands it vastly predominates 

 and so holds a very important place in relation to the future. It 

 also has the distinction of producing the clearest and highest grade 

 of lumber, although it is small in size. This is due to the form of the 

 tree which has a long cylindrical bole, well cleaned of branches, and 

 a small short crown induced by the intolerance of the species and its 

 habit of growing in dense, uniform, even-aged stands. The "bark is 

 very thin, .2 to .4 in., comparatively smooth, with small scales or 

 shallow ridges, and grayish in color. 



"The manner of seed production is one of the most important 

 of the individual characteristics of lodgepole pine. It is distinct, 

 not only from the other genera but also from other species of pine 

 except jack pine. The main points of interest are: first, the early 

 age at which seed production begins ; second, the quantity and com- 

 parative regularity of production ; third, the persistence Df the cones 



