Forestry Notes. 



8i 



To Establish Experi- 

 ment Stations in 

 National Forests 

 IN THE West. 



Forest experiment stations will soon be 

 established in a number of the National 

 Forest States of the West, according to 

 plans which have just been completed 

 by the United States Forest Service. 



These new stations are expected to do the same for the develop- 

 ment of American forests as agricultural experiment stations 

 have done for the improvement of the country's farms. 



As a first step in this work an experiment station has already 

 been established on the Coconino National Forest in the South- 

 west, with headquarters at Flagstaff, Arizona. Stations in other 

 National Forests will be established later, and it is the intention 

 ultimately to have at least one experiment station in each of the 

 silvicultural regions of the West. 



One of the most important parts of the work of the new experi- 

 ment stations will be the maintenance of model forests typical of 

 the region. These areas will furnish the most valuable and in- 

 structive object-lessons for the public in general, for professional 

 foresters, lumbermen, and owners of forest land, and especially to 

 the technical and administrative officers of the National Forests. 



In the recently established station on the Coconino National 

 Forest one of the first problems to be taken up will be the study 

 of the reproduction of western yellow pine and the causes of its 

 success and failure. A solution of this problem of how to obtain 

 satisfactory reproduction of the yellow pine is of the greatest 

 practical importance to the Southwest, since the yellow pine, 

 which is by far the most valuable tree there, is in many cases not 

 forming a satisfactory second growth. The study will be carried 

 on largely by means of sample plots, which will be laid out for 

 future observation to determine the effects of grazing, of the 

 different methods of cutting and disposing of the brush, and of 

 other factors on the success of reproduction. 



Other studies which will be taken up soon are a study of the 

 light requirements of different species at different altitudes and 

 the construction of a scale of tolerance which will be based on 

 the actual measurements of the light intensity, and not only, as 

 has hitherto been the case, on general observations alone ; the 

 taking of meteorological observations to determine the effect of 

 the forest upon temperature, humidity, melting of snow, wind 

 velocity, etc.; a study of the relative value of the germinating 

 power of seeds from trees of different sizes, ages, and degrees 

 of health ; and similar studies of value to the region. A com- 

 plete collection of the flora of the forest will be made to form a 

 herbarium, which will be kept on the forest and will be available 

 for reference at any time. 



