SURVEYS OF FOREST RESERVES. 75 



Situated in northwestern Montana, the Flathead Reserve occupies 

 both slopes of the main divide of the Eocky Mountains from just north 

 of the Great Northern Kailroad to the British line. Its boundaries 

 include an area of 1,382,400 acres, none of which falls within the land 

 grant of any road. From the very different character of the east and 

 west slopes of the Rockies within this reserve it will be convenient to 

 describe them separately. 



EASTKRN SLOPE. 



The eastern slope includes a mountain region unexcelled on this con- 

 tinent for the grandeur and simplicity of its lines. Its natural features 

 are of great size and simple plan, and so striking in outline and effect 

 that its extensive and important forest areas form at first sight a com- 

 paratively unimportant factor in the landscape. Its rocks are granitic, 

 and the soil which results from their decomposition is in general poor. 

 The climate is extremel.y harsh. Snow often lies on the ground at the 

 lower altitudes from September to July. 



Recently separated from the Blackfoot Indian Reservation, the east- 

 ern slope has no trade relations at present. Its economic value in the 

 near future must depend upon supplying the timber required to develop 

 its mines, to which local opinion assigns a hitherto undemonstrated 

 value, and protecting the head waters of the Milk and Marias rivers, 

 both of which are essential to large cattle interests in the range country 

 farther east. 



THE FOREST, EASTERN SLOPE. 



The forest is composed chiefly, at the lower altitudes, of lodge-pole 

 pine, Douglas fir (red fir), and Engelmann spruce. Higher up, alpine 

 fir and limber pine are the principal elements of the forest, with here 

 and there a considerable proportion of spruce. The spruce serves as a 

 connecting link between the upper and the lower forest types. This 

 forest is distributed wherever its existence is permitted by the slope of 

 the ground and by the absence of the snow slides or avalanches, which, 

 on the higher ground, clear considerable areas of timber, and keep them 

 clear of everything but brush and weeds. 



Very dense in many places, the forest here reaches no considerable 

 size as compared with that of the western slope. It is capable, never- 

 theless, of furnishing great quantities of material indispensable to the 

 development of the mines of this region, and to the support of the 

 Indians on the reservation. 



The lodge-pole pine is valuable chiefly for fencing and for the smaller 

 grades of mining timber. It reaches the following average dimensions 

 in this region: Height, 65 feet; diameter, 10 inches; length of clear 

 trunk, 30 feet. Its marvelous reproductive power and its ability to 

 occupy without delay lands cleared by fire have given it a very wide 

 extension, so that it probably exceeds in number any other tree upon 

 the area. 



The Douglas fir (red fir), while valuable for its size and the quality of 

 its timber, occurs only in small numbers. Its average dimensions are 

 as follows: Height, 50 feet; diameter, 2 feet; length of clear trunk, 10 

 feet. Until exhausted, it will be valuable to furnish the larger class 

 of mining timber. 



The Engelmann spruce will furnish most of the lumber which maybe 

 obtained from this region. It reaches a diameter of 3 feet and over, and 

 its average dimensions may be stated as follows: Height, 60 feet; diam- 

 eter, 18 inches; length of clear trunk, usually not over 6 feet. The 



