26 Miscellaneous Circular h&, V. S. Dept. of Agriculture 



FOREST PLANTING 



The largest Government nursery for the growing of forest trees 

 in the United States is located near Haugan, a small town on the 

 Yellowstone Trail in western Montana. This is known as the 

 Savenac Nursery, because of its location at the mouth of Savenac 

 Creek, a tributary of the St. Regis River. Here are growing at ail 

 times about 10,000,000 small trees of timber-producing species, such 

 as western white and western yellow pines, spruce, and fir. 



These trees are not for sale, but are used for replanting lands 

 devastated by forest fires (fig. 18). Fires have taken a heavy toll 



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44 





Fig. 18. — Plantation of yellow pine on the Lolo National Forest 



from the forests west of the Continental Divide. The severe fires 

 which occurred during the dry summer of 1910 left many mountain 

 slopes denuded of all vegetation. On such lands tree growth is slow 

 in starting, or what does start represents the poorer species, such as 

 lodgepole pine, rather than more desirable timber. On land of this 

 kind seedlings can be successfully and profitably planted. 



The cost for each tree is very small — about iy 2 cents covers every- 

 thing from the seed to the time the young tree is finally set out on 

 the planting site. It is estimated that it will take about 120 years 

 for the small trees to reach maturity. 



One thousand pounds of seed a year are required to raise the trees 

 in this nursery. The Forest Service superintends the collection of 

 cones, dries them, and extracts the seed in special machinery designed 

 for the purpose. After growing in the nursery beds for two or three 

 years the little trees are taken up for final planting on the sites where 

 they are needed. They are spaced 8 feet apart each way, so that 680 

 trees are required for an acre. Western yellow pine is the species 



