24 SURVEYS OF FOREST RESERVES. 



comprise about four-fifths of the forested portion of the reserve. The 

 chief species found in this portion of the reserve are Western white pine 

 and tamarack, although there are several other species of commercial 

 importance mingled with them, such as cedar, Engelmann spruce, west- 

 ern hemlock, and white fir. The heaviest growth occurs on the level 

 areas bordering the principal streams and is most abundant in the 

 western half of the reserve. This zone is far the most important of 

 those above mentioned, from a commercial standpoint, containing much 

 the largest quantity of commercial timber and being generally easy of 

 access. 



The yellow pine zone lies below that of the white pine, but the line 

 of demarcation is not always easy to establish, the two zones merging 

 into one another by insensible degrees. The principal species within 

 this zone are the yellow pine, Douglas fir, and white fir, nearly three- 

 fourths of the timber consisting of Douglas fir. The first two of these 

 species are of commercial value. 



The amount of merchantable timber at present contained in the 

 reserve is estimated at 4,833,600,000 feet B. M., including that suitable 

 for saw timber, railway ties, and telegraph poles. The amount avail- 

 able for each of these several purposes is estimated as follows : 



Saw timber 1,903,600,000 



Railroad ties 2,720,000,000 



Telegrapli poles 210,000,000 



The forests have suffered greatly from fires at various times in the 

 past, as is indicated by the fact that the forest is of widely differing age 

 in different parts. The reserve contains bodies of timber of all ages, 

 ranging from 250 and 300 years down to young saplings of a few years 

 of age only, and the ground under the young trees is thickly strewn 

 with fallen logs, charred and partially rotten, the remains of the fires. 



It is estimated that if the reserve had remained untouched by recent 

 fires it would contain at iwesent 10,250,000,000 feet B. M. of timber 

 instead of less than 5,000,000,000, whicli it contains at present. More 

 than 11,000,000,000 feet of timber has been destroyed by fire within the 

 past thirty-five years, without doing good to anyone. 



Gutting. — But little cutting has been done upon the reserve. Most 

 of that consisted of tie timber and piling used in the construction of the 

 Great li^orthern Eailway. During the past summer parties were cut- 

 ting Western white pine in small quantities and shipping it out. Aside 

 from this the only consumption of timber upon the reserve has been by 

 settlers for their improvements and for fuel. 



The only means available at the present time for transporting lumber 

 out of the reserve is by driving down Priest Eiver to the Great Northern 

 Eailway. 



Arable lands. — The arable lauds are found entirely in the Clarke Fork 

 Valley and in that of Priest Lake and Eiver, the whole aggregating 

 about 10,000 acres. They consist of high ground covered with sedges 

 or grass, marshes which can be reclaimed, grass land subject to over- 

 flow, and cleared land on the benches adjacent to streams. The bulk 

 of them are situated on the western side of the valley of Priest Lake 

 and River, where the rock formation is softer and the valleys are con- 

 sequently broader and more level. The greater portion of these tracts 

 are held by settlers. 



Many squatters' claims have been located in the white pine forest, 

 ostensibly for agricultural purposes, but less than five acres have been 

 cleared altogether from the living white pine forest. 



