FOREST AND RANGE RESOURCES OF UTAH 83 



P. mo?iophylia, which is most common in Nevada but extends over 

 into western Utah, has a single needle. Both kinds of pinon are 

 small short round-topped trees growing at low elevations in the 

 mountains, usually in hot, dry situations. They have little commer- 

 cial value but are used locally for mine props, second-grade railroad 

 ties, and fuel. The edible seeds or nuts are often borne in great 

 profusion and are collected in large amounts for the market. 



LIMBER PINE 



Limber pine (Pinus flexilis) is a crooked, stunted tree growing 

 on dry ridges and exposed hillsides. Its only use is for mine timbers 

 and for fuel at high elevations. 



BRISTLECONE PINE 



Bristlecone pine {Pinus arlstata) which is also known as foxtail 

 pine and cattail pine, is distinguished by the long taillike branches 

 to which the needles cling from 10 to 12 years. Bristlecone pine is 

 found only as a scattered tree near timber line and on the sterile 

 soils of southern Utah. It is an open round-topped tree sometimes 

 2 or 3 feet in diameter but seldom over 30 to 40 feet high. The 

 pale reddish-brown wood is light, soft, and brittle and has no value 

 except for fuel. 



DOUGLAS FIR, ASPEN, AND JUNIPERS, ALSO COTTONWOOD, OAK, AND MAPLE 



DOUGLAS FIR 



With a stand of 430,162,000 board feet, Douglas fir {Pseudotsuya 

 taxifolia) ranks fourth among the timber trees of the State, but is 

 nevertheless very important. 



Occurrence. — Douglas fir is very generally distributed in the moun- 

 tains of Utah, being found on all the national forests in the State. 

 This species seldom forms pure stands in Utah but is usually found 

 in mixture at the upper edge of the western yellow pine and the 

 lower edge of the Engelmann spruce types. 



Requirements. — Douglas fir is moderately tolerant of shade in 

 youth, becoming less so as it matures. It can endure more shade 

 than western yellow pine or lodgepole pine, but less than Engelmann 

 spruce or alpine fir. This species is found under a wider range of 

 climatic conditions than any other of the important timber trees from 

 the dryness of the Utah Mountains to the moisture of the Pacific 

 coast, and is adapted to a variety of soils. In Utah it is character- 

 istic of cool coves and north slopes at elevations of 6,000 to 9,000 feet. 



Reproduction. — One of the surest and easiest ways of identifying 

 Douglas fir is by the 3-pointed thin bracts protruding from among 

 the cone scales. The cones mature in one season, ripening about the 

 middle of August and dropping from the tree the same fall. The 

 winged seeds are widely scattered by the wind, and cones containing 

 seed are transported both by wind and animals. Reproduction comes 

 in best on mineral soil under partial shade. 



Growth and yield. — The Douglas fir of Utah, probably because 

 of the lack of moisture and the short growing season, is a distinctly 

 smaller and slower growing tree than the Pacific coast variety. 



