83 REPORT OF THE FORESTRY COMMITTEE 



from the desert, or "dry timber line" to the upper slopes, where it gives way 

 to the fir type. 



This yellow pine type is the important commercial type within its range, for 

 yellow pine is one of the most useful of the western conifers. In places the stand 

 is practically pure western yellow pine over large areas ; in other places there is 

 a varying amount of Douglas fir, lodgepole pine, white fir, grand fir, western 

 larch, and incense cedar. Usually the forest is very uneven-aged, and an 

 abundance of seedlings and saplings, in groups, fills up the gaps in the loose 

 canopy of the older trees. This type occupies a region in which the climate is 

 unfavorable to most tree species and in which growth is ordinarily slow even 

 for yellow pine. 



Some of the land within this type is agricultural, but the majority of it is so 

 dry or so cold, or so rocky, or so steep that it should remain forested perpetually 

 and be one of the Nation's sources of lumber. Possibly a half of this type in the 

 Pacific Coast region is within public ownership in the National Forests and 

 Indian Reservations. Most of the rest is held by large lumber companies, and a 

 little is held as a part of ranches or woodlots. 



The method of silviculture which is indicated for this yellow pine type, and 

 which is now being put into practice with good success on the National Forests, is 

 a selection method of cutting. As in the sugar pine type, there is practically no 

 occasion to use any method of artificial reforestation in the yellow pine type 

 proper, for the selection method of cutting meets so nicely the silvical require- 

 ments of the tree. This type, moreover, is singularly free from disastrous fires, 

 so that seldom is so large an area devasted that it does not become reforested 

 naturally. 



Land Bordering the Yellow Pine Type 

 In the naturally treeless land of central Washington and Oregon, bordering 

 the yellow pine belt, is a ranching region. Here small blocks of trees are very 

 desirable to supply fuel, posts, etc., for local use, to act as wind-breaks, and for 

 their scenic effect. These shelter belts, or woodlots, must be located where they 

 may be irrigated or sub-irrigated, for the climate is usually too dry to grow trees 

 without artificial help. Severe winters and occasional late frosts compel the 

 use of fairly hardy trees. The only practicable method of starting these planta- 

 tions is by planting nursery-grown stock (or cuttings, in the case of poplars and 

 willows). The spacing will, of course, depend upon the object of the owner and 

 the species to be used. For wind-breaks it would not be wider than 4x4 feet, 

 while for fuel purposes with rapid-growing species it might be as wide as 7 x 7 

 feet. The climate is so variable in this region that the choice of species must be 

 decided locally. In general, frost-hardy, drought-resistant, rapid-growing hard- 

 woods only are desirable. The following seem to meet the requirements of the 

 region— if they can be watered enough to get a start— green ash, box-elder, 

 various species of poplars, black cherry, white willow, white elm, and red oak. 

 In the warmer parts of the Pacific Qoast region in southern California, eucalyptus 

 will be used. The usefulness of such planting is very evident, but the profit can- 

 not be estimated. Returns will depend greatly upon local site conditions. 



