FOREST LAND 



Southern Montana has over two million 

 acres of forest land. About 10 percent 

 of the area is forested. All of the 15 

 counties in this southern unit have some 

 forest land. Park County with 705,000 

 acres of forest has the largest forest 

 area. Sweetgrass County is second with 

 270,000 acres. Fallon County with less 

 than a thousand acres has the smallest 

 forest acreage. Within this unit is 

 the principal forested area at the 

 headwaters of the Yellowstone River. 



The forest area in the eastern portion 

 of the southern unit consists typically 

 of open scattered ponderosa pine stands 

 in the uplands and stringers of cotton- 

 wood along the waterways. Historically 

 these forests provided fuel, shelter, 

 and fence posts for many of the early 

 settlers. As the Northern Pacific 

 Railway pushed west, the forests pro- 

 vided many of the necessary ties and 

 construction timbers. Because of the 

 semiarid climatic conditions the 

 people living in this eastern part have 

 a deep appreciation of trees that is 

 so frequently lacking in more exten- 

 sively forested areas. 



The western portion of the southern 

 unit contains some of the roughest 

 topography in the state. Granite 

 Peak, 12,850 feet in elevation, the 

 highest point in Montana, towers above 

 this rugged domain. The forests are 

 predominantly coniferous - lodgepole 

 pine and Douglas-fir. Early use of 

 the forest was principally for hewn 

 railroad ties. Nearly every creek 

 draining into the Yellowstone shows 

 evidence of work by early day tie- 

 cutters. For scenic beauty the area 

 is outstanding and recreation is big 

 business throughout most of the unit. 



10% OF THE TOTAL AREA 

 IS FOREST LAND 



/a of the forest land is 

 classed as commercial 



96 °/o OF THE COMMERCIAL 

 FOREST LAND IS SOFTWOODS^ 

 4 o/ is HARDWOODS 



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