﻿FOREWORD 
  

  

  The 
  cutting 
  of 
  old 
  timber 
  stands 
  presents 
  

   management 
  with 
  a 
  continuing 
  problem 
  — 
  

   which 
  species 
  should 
  be 
  established 
  to 
  bring 
  

   the 
  land 
  back 
  into 
  timber 
  production? 
  Fre- 
  

   quently 
  the 
  choice 
  of 
  species 
  or 
  species 
  mix- 
  

   tures 
  to 
  feature 
  lies 
  among 
  many 
  desirable 
  

   species, 
  such 
  as 
  those 
  that 
  grow 
  together 
  in 
  

   the 
  white 
  pine 
  zone 
  on 
  the 
  National 
  Forests 
  

   of 
  the 
  Northern 
  Rocky 
  Mountain 
  area. 
  

  

  In 
  the 
  past, 
  choosing 
  a 
  species 
  to 
  feature 
  

   in 
  this 
  region 
  was 
  relatively 
  simple. 
  White 
  

   pine 
  was 
  an 
  obvious 
  choice 
  on 
  many 
  areas 
  

   because 
  it 
  produced 
  large 
  volumes 
  of 
  high 
  

   quality 
  wood 
  per 
  acre, 
  could 
  be 
  regenerated; 
  

   naturally 
  with 
  relative 
  ease, 
  and 
  could 
  be 
  sold 
  

   at 
  a 
  higher 
  price 
  than 
  its 
  associated 
  species. 
  

   In 
  recent 
  years, 
  however, 
  production 
  of 
  white 
  

   pine 
  has 
  suffered 
  from 
  increasingly 
  heavy 
  

   losses 
  from 
  blister 
  rust 
  ( 
  Cronartium 
  ribicola) 
  

   in 
  young 
  stands 
  and 
  from 
  both 
  rust 
  and 
  bark 
  

   beetles 
  in 
  mature 
  stands. 
  

  

  Recent 
  surveys 
  show 
  that 
  the 
  best 
  efforts 
  

  

  made 
  toward 
  blister 
  rust 
  protection 
  have 
  been 
  

   inadequate. 
  An 
  average 
  of 
  48 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  

   white 
  pine 
  trees 
  in 
  stands 
  less 
  than 
  20 
  years 
  

   old 
  are 
  lethally 
  infected 
  and 
  there 
  is 
  a 
  rela- 
  

   tively 
  constant 
  infection 
  rate 
  of 
  1 
  to 
  2 
  percent 
  

   per 
  year. 
  The 
  heavy 
  mortality 
  and 
  growth 
  

   loss 
  associated 
  with 
  blister 
  rust, 
  as 
  well 
  as 
  the 
  

   uncertainty 
  of 
  success 
  attending 
  efforts 
  to 
  

   protect 
  white 
  pine 
  from 
  the 
  disease 
  by 
  either 
  

   prevention 
  or 
  control, 
  lead 
  to 
  only 
  one 
  con- 
  

   clusion: 
  white 
  pine 
  must 
  be 
  eliminated 
  from 
  

   the 
  regeneration 
  plans 
  of 
  the 
  Northern 
  Region 
  

   until 
  such 
  time 
  as 
  effective 
  control 
  measures 
  

   are 
  developed 
  or 
  disease-resistant 
  stock 
  that 
  

   compares 
  favorably 
  with 
  other 
  species 
  in 
  terms 
  

   of 
  growth 
  and 
  cost 
  of 
  regeneration 
  is 
  available. 
  

  

  During 
  the 
  interim 
  period, 
  good 
  utilization 
  

   of 
  these 
  lands 
  for 
  timber 
  production 
  requires 
  

   that 
  managers 
  choose 
  from 
  among 
  the 
  alterna- 
  

   tive 
  species 
  available 
  those 
  that 
  seem 
  likely 
  

   to 
  return 
  the 
  greatest 
  net 
  value 
  yield 
  per 
  acre 
  

   in 
  view 
  of 
  the 
  costs, 
  yields, 
  and 
  risk 
  of 
  loss 
  

   expected. 
  

  

  vi 
  

  

  