
FOREST CONDITIONS OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS. 
I—GENERAL VIEW. 
The forests of the Rocky Mountain region sustain an important rela- 
tion to the western half of the United States, if indeed their influence 
is not more widely extended. In the past their value has been wholly 
measured by their yield of timber and other useful products, but a more 
enligitened estimate is now gaining ground. Itis gratifying to note that 
amore just comprehension of their value and importance prevails, and 
that the indifference with which their partial destruction has been 
viewed is yielding to a desire for their preservation. 
These forests are mainly situated upon the lands of the General Gov- 
ernment, and are not subject to State or Territorial control. The 
measures in force for their maintenance and protection are extremely 
ineffectual. 
GEOGRAPHY OF THE REGION. 
In order to understand the existing forest conditions of this region 
it will be necessary first to consider its leading physical features. . 
The term “ Rocky Mountains ” (originally “Stony Mountains”), in its 
widest sense, includes all the mountains of North America between » 
the Great Plains and the Pacific Ocean, extending to the Arctic Ocean 
ou the north and to Mexico on the south. It is the opinion of many 
that the same system includes the mountains of Mexico and Central 
America. Exclusive of Mexico, the chain traverses the entire region 
embraced between the thirty-second and seventieth parallels of north 
latitude. Its greatest expanse is between the thirty-eighth and forty- 
second degrees of north latitude, where the system has a breadth of 
about 1,000 miles. Its highest peak is Mount Saint Elias, in Alaska, 
which rises to an altitude of 19,500 feet above the sea. 
THE MOUNTAIN SYSTEM. 
For the purpose of the present investigation, the term ‘ Rocky 
Mountains” will usually be confined to these portions of the system 
| which are comprised within the State of Colorado and the Territories 
| of Idaho, Montana, Wyoming, Utah, and New Mexico. 
The mountain system under covsideration is situated midway be- 
tween the Mississippi River and the Pacific Ocean, and running nearly 
24738—Bull 2——4. 49 

