LIFE HISTORY OF LODGEPOLE PINE IN ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 17 
This table shows how comparatively slow is the growth of lodge- 
pole pine. One of the most striking points brought out, however, 
is the relatively rapid growth of the dominant trees, particularly in 
volume, amounting to approximately twice that of the average tree. 
This indicates clearly the need for sufficient growing space if the 
maximum development of individual trees is to be secured. 
Measurements which would permit of comparison between the rate 
of growth in Wyoming and Colorado with that in Montana are not 
available. Table 3, however, shows the diameter growth by decades 
on two widely separated Forests in Wyoming, the Medicine Bow and 
the Bighorn. In both cases the growth is typical of the average 
sites on which the bulk of the lodgepole forests of the region are 
found. Since in this case the measurements were collected by fol- 
lowing the sawyers through the woods, the data secured represent the 
growth of trees of more than the average diameter, since only the 
larger timber was cut. Also, the stand on the Medicine Bow was 
probably denser than on the Bighorn, which accounts for the slower 
rate of growth upon the former. On similar sites, and with the same 
stand density, the rate of growth for the two Forests would probably 
be about the same. 
TABLE 3.—Average diameter growth of lodgepole pine on average sites on the 
Bighorn and Medicine Bow National Forests, Wyo. 
Bighorn Medicine Bighorn | Medicine 
National Bow National Bow 
Forest. 2 Forest. 8 Forest .2 Forest.3 
Age in years. pba A PL nO Age in years. 
Diameter | Diameter Diameter | Diameter 
breast high. | breast high. breast high. |breast high. 
Inches. Inches. Inches. Inches. 
2 Let 5 ae ne hae ee lee OE SniL 20 eb yavais eee re ah ol eteress 10. 7, Wet 
SA EO ee Ss ol 5 ee ae 3.0 UG | ISOS sas aR eee ae ial 8.2 
DE ace Be ate See OEE ee 4.4 DeBus UAOe aps pee sent ee 11.6 8.6 
OLA 5 Sees Ben se ee bere S307 bi 3108 See aren er ae ae 12.1 9.1 
TGA Oe eee ee 6.7 BAS INGO cre ators opel ite, oper se aa 12.5 9.6 
(U2 Aas nS ee Bae ee 7.6 BLOM WO eaters cere ea eee eevee te 12.8 10.0 
‘ah ES ae ee ee 8.4 AOI USO Cee see eee ee ND 1B}, 97 10. 4 
pee ete eee set LS 9.1 GZ ELOO Piet stesso se kecciclaee 1355 10.8 
RR errata See Ge AR 9.7 Dhol hel0 Us newtnae ic ae Seoe ese 13.8 rei 
LI Saas hCe ee 10.3 7.2 
1 From Forest Service Circular 126, ‘‘ Forest Tables: Lodgepole Pine.”’ 
2 Based on decade measurements on 49 stumps of various heights, 72 to 340 years old. 
3 Based on decade measurements on 430 1-foot stumps, 159 to 300 years old. 
The growth in height of young seedlings in Montana and Colorado 
is shown in Table 4. Figures for Montana are based on measure- 
ments of 86 trees on the Deerlodge National Forest made to deter- 
mine the average age required to reach various stump heights; figures 
for Colorado are the results of measurements of reproduction on a 
burned area on the Arapaho National Forest. In the white-pine 
region of Northern Idaho lodgepole makes a more rapid height 
growth in the seedling stage than does any other species, with the 
62799°— Bull. 154—15——8 
