MAJOR RESERVED FOREST. 
IN MONTANA 
AREAS 
GLACIER NATIONAL PARK 
CABINET MOUNTAINS WILD AREA 
MISSION MOUNTAINS WILD AREA 
BOB MARSHALL WILDERNESS AREA 
GATES OF MOUNTAIN WILD AREA 
SELWAY BITTERROOT WILDERNESS AREA 
ANACONDA PINTLAR WILDERNESS AREA 
SPANISH PEAK WILD AREA 
YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK 
ABSAROKA WILD AREA 
BEARTOOTH WILDERNESS AREA 
=Oo0MVOUHUD- 
Ficure 15. 
acres) would, if it were not reserved, be classed as 
commercial because it is potentially accessible and 
has the capacity to produce usable timber. 
The Noncommercial Forest 
In addition to the reserved area, 4.1 million 
acres cannot be considered from an industrial stand- 
point. These 4.1 million acres, though available 
for timber growing, either lack the capacity to pro- 
duce usable timber or are too remote or inaccessible 
for the most part to ever be logged. Although this 
noncommercial forest is widely scattered, by far 
the larger part occurs at the climatic upper limits 
of the forest zone where drying winds, a general 
harshness of weather, and a thin soil mantle retard 
tree growth. Alpine fir, whitebark pine, and Engel- 
mann spruce predominate. Figure 16 shows a 
typical high-altitude noncommercial stand. 
Along the dry lower margin of the forest in 
eastern Montana, where the timber gives way to 
grass, there is another belt of scrubby timber. Be- 
cause wood is generally at a premium in such locali- 
ties, most of these stands are logged to some extent 
and by such use become “‘commercial.”” However, 
some of the poorer quality juniper stands are classed 
Forest Resources of Montana 
as noncommercial. “Throughout the commercial 
forest there are patches of very steep or very rocky 
land which are unsuitable for timber production 
and, therefore, classed as “‘rocky noncommercial.” 
A typical rocky noncommercial area is shown in 
figure 16. 
Noncommercial forest lands by definition are 
of negligible importance from the standpoint of 
producing usable timber. However, since more and 
more attention is being given to water development 
and control in the Columbia and Missouri River 
Basins, the importance of these lands from a water- 
shed standpoint is increasingly evident. ‘The deep 
snowfall in Montana is on the higher areas where 
such forest predominates. Trees on these areas have 
much to do with the rate of snow melt and runoff. 
Thus, though the noncommercial forest lacks the 
capacity to erow usable wood, it will receive more 
attention from forest managers in years to come. 
The Commercial Forest 
More than two-thirds of the forest area in Mon- 
tana is both suitable and available for timber 
production. This area, 15.8 million acres in all, is 
therefore classed as commercial. Fifty-six percent 
of the commercial forest in Montana lies west of 
the Continental Divide. 
The Forest Survey recognizes the 8 general com- 
mercial forest-type groups shown below. Several 
of the groups are divided into subtypes, as shown 
in the appendix tables. 
Western Eastern 
Montana Montana Total 
(million (million (million 
Forest type group: acres) acres) acres) 
Wihitespinesais vee caserectuber a 0.3 Se 0.3 
Ponderosa: i pines aj.3. 5 ec oscenit ya) 1E2 3.4 
Wha nG hice isros. pets vss aaa eae ee 2.6 2.6 
Douclas firs ek ies eee 12 M7 2:9 
Spruce fin gningey. wel anienace. oaths A 3 ih 
Lodgepole“pine <5. ios... week 2.5 4:7 
Hardwood Sinise rsscisis) oat nee A A 
Coniferous woodland .... 8 8 
AO Lal ee onto ene 8.9 6.9 15.8 
Four types (lodgepole pine, ponderosa pine, Doug- 
las-fir, and larch) cover 86 percent of the commer- 
cial forest. 
A considerable forest area at the lower elevations 
in eastern Montana bears scrubby, low-quality 
stands. Some of the area is noncommercial but most 
of it (800,000 acres) is classed as commercial and 
15 
