80 ABSAEOKA DIVISION OF YELLOWSTONE FOREST RESERVE. 



and willow groves line the streams. The uplands are utilized for grazing purposes, 

 and the creek bottoms and swales for agriculture. It is distinctly a grazing and 

 agricultural tract and is of no value for forestry purposes. 



Township Y South, Range 10 East. 



Topography. — With the exception of a small area in the central portion, the 

 township consists of narrow-crested and precipitous ridges and divides attaining 

 altitudes of nearl}- 11,000 feet. The exception to the high relief is a broad canyon, 

 a tributary of the Middle Fork of Mill Greek, cutting into the central areas of the 

 township from the north. 



Mining. — None. 



Soil. — Gravel, with thin surface layers of loam; very stony and bowlder-strewn 

 on the slopes and in the bottoms of the canyons. 



Agricultural adajptahility. — No portion is fit for agriculture; the tract is too 

 stony and the altitude too great. 



Grasvng capacity. — ^The subalpine and alpine areas are mostly grassy and suit- 

 able for sheep pasture, but are practicallj'^ inaccessible. 



Drainage conditions. — ^The run-off is large and is carried by tributaries of Mill 

 Creek. Lakelets and tarns are lacking, but the tract is well supplied with springs, 

 marshy tracts, and creeks, and forms a natural reservoir for much of the Mill 

 Creek flow. 



Snow and rock slides. — Infrequent. 



Towns and settlements. — None. 



Forest conditions. — The forested areas are confined to the canyons in the central 

 portions of the township, the high areas on the north, east, and south being situated 

 above timber line. The stands are of medium density, thinning out near the 9,500- 

 foot contour to small copses and narrow lines. In the lower areas lodgepole pine 

 and Engelmann spruce are the prevailing species, largely in old growth stands. At 

 higher altitudes the typical subalpine forest constitutes the stands. The timber is 

 accessible by way of Mill Creek, but only with great difficulty and expense. 



Cutting. — None. 



Burns. — None. 



Reproduction. — Deficient in the subalpine areas but abundant in the stands 

 on the lower elevations. Most of the young growth is composed of spruce. 



Undergrowth. — Light. 



Litter. — There is a small amount in the stands in the Canyon bottoms: very 

 little in the stands on the subalpine areas. 



Humus. — There is a thin layer of moss and pine needles. 



