8 



yellow pine, which occurs in large stands in western Idaho and 

 southern Utah and on the Kaibab Plateau in northern Arizona. 

 The lodgepole pine, of which there is more than 9,000,000,000 board 

 feet, is found throughout the higher mountains of central and eastern 

 Idaho and in large stands through western Wyoming and the Uintah 

 Mountains of northern Utah. Engelmann spruce, of which the 

 intermountain region has about 6,000,000,000 board feet, is found 

 throughout the entire region on the higher mountains, where it 

 grows to timber line. Large stands are found in the Idaho National 

 Forest in western Idaho, in the Ashley National Forest among the 

 high Uintah Mountains, and in the Powell National Forest, on the 

 high Aquarius Plateau of south Utah. Alpine fir, of which the 

 forests of the intermountain district have more than 2,000,000,000 

 board feet, is an associate of Engelmann spruce, having at present 

 only a secondary commercial value. Other species, making up about 

 3,000,000,000 board feet, include larch found in western Idaho, 

 limber pine, a tree of high altitudes, especially common in Nevada, 

 blue spruce, white fir, known in Utah as black balsam, and others 

 of even rarer occurrence. There are also large areas of aspen timber, 

 especially throughout Utah. Aspen is generally unsuitable for saw 

 timber, but the national forests of this region contain nearly 

 11,000,000 cords of this wood suitable for use in the manufacture of 

 such articles as paper, matches, excelsior, and small boxes. 



HOW TIMBER IS CUT ON THE NATIONAL FORESTS 



The national forests are being managed in such a way as markedly 

 to increase their productivity. In order to permit the development 

 of a stable timber business, cutting will never be allowed to exceed 

 the annual growth. The growth at present is estimated to be about 

 48,000,000 board feet a year, a rate far below that which may ulti- 

 mately be obtained under proper management. Many of the present 

 stands are old or overmature and are producing little in the way of 

 new growth, and others are so open that despite the rapid growth of 

 individual trees not much is produced. It is probable, though, that 

 ultimately the national forests of the intermountain region will be 

 in a position to supply not only all of the 300,000,000 board feet which 

 the region is now estimated to consume annually but nearly three 

 times that amount. 



The timber resources of the forests are conserved by the require- 

 ment that all salable timber shall be marked or designated for cutting 

 before lumbering operations are begun and that certain precautions in 

 the w^ay of protecting young growth and removing slash be observed. 

 In a region where the fire risk is great, slash is burned; otherwise 

 it is either spread on the ground or, as in the case of some lodgepole 

 pine stands in regions of low fire hazard, branches are left on the 

 tops of trees where they fall so that the needles will drop off and 

 decompose quickly. A forest expert selects the ripe timber and 

 whatever other trees it is desirable to have removed, from the point 

 of view of the forest's productivity and welfare, and after public 

 advertisement, if $500 worth of timber or more is to be disposed of, 

 sale is made to the highest responsible bidder. Carefully planned 

 inspection assures full performance of contract agreements. 



