20 MISCELLANEOUS CIRCULAR 82, U. S. DEPT. OE AGRICULTURE 



to only a relatively small portion of the forest. The intervening 

 stretches are broken and rugged, although of no great altitude. 



Timber development on this forest has been slow on account of the 

 character of the country and its comparative inaccessibility to mar- 

 kets. But the timber " also serves " by waiting. Within a few 

 years timber products from the Shoshone will undoubtedly be filling 

 their place in local, if not distant markets. 



The Shoshone National Forest is also important because of the pro- 

 tection it gives to watersheds. Within its boundaries are the head- 

 waters of the Shoshone River, the Greybull, and Clarks Fork of the 

 Yellowstone River. As a background for the many interesting geo- 

 logical formations in this region the stands on this forest add much 

 to the beauty of the landscape. But far more important is the deter- 

 ring effect of their spreading roots on the eroding action of wind and 

 flowing water assaulting the steep slopes and the retarding effect of 



; *% .. 



Fig-. 15. — Greys River, near the end of tlie road, in the Wyoming- National Forest 



their spreading branches on the melting of snow. At timber line the 

 bizarre witch tree renders this protecting service, constituting what is 

 known as a protection forest. At somewhat lower elevations timber- 

 producing stands protect the mountain slopes. The plan according 

 to which timber sales are cut out on the national forests in no way 

 impairs the effectiveness of the forest cover for watershed protection. 

 Those using water from the forests want it to be clear and steady 

 in its flow. Both these requirements the forests help to fulfill. By 

 holding the soil in place on the mountain sides they keep the water 

 clear, and by delaying the run-off of spring rains and melting snow 

 they tend to equalize the volume of water available throughout the 

 year. Were it not that the forests act thus as soil binders, erosion 

 might go on unchecked ; the water in the streams would be muddy ; the 

 reservoirs, pipe lines, and ditches would fill up with silt. Fertile soil 

 would be washed away from the mountain sides, thus depriving them 



