An ecological phenomenon that intrigued and Korstian 1931). The brushy vegetation is 



many early foresters was the so-called "pine- of several types found commonly throughout 



less belt" between west central Montana and mountainous areas in northern and central 



the Gulf of California. This area, several nun- Utah, southeastern Idaho, and western Wyo- 



dred miles wide in some places, is not devoid ming that would normally be expected to sup- 



of pine but it naturally supports very little port forests of ponderosa pine. The Utah Ex- 



ponderosa (Pinus ponderosa) — or western periment Station was well within this belt, 



yellow pine, as it was formerly known. It is a and the Transition zone in Ephraim Canyon 



brushland belt running through the center of supports abundant growth of oakbrush (fig. 



the usual habitat of ponderosa pine (Baker 13). 



Figure 13. — The oakbrush zone in Ephraim Canyon where F. S. Baker and C. F. Korstian planted hundreds of 

 seedlings of ponderosa pine and other conifers. 



32 



