THE FOREST SURVEY IN MONTANA 



In 1928 Congress authorized and directed 

 the Secretary of Agriculture to under- 

 take a comprehensive survey of the 

 timber supplies of the United States. 

 Responsibility for this survey was as- 

 signed to the Forest Service and in turn 

 to its various regional forest experi- 

 ment stations. The Northern Rocky 

 Mountain Forest and Range Experiment 

 Station in 1934 initiated the forest 

 survey in Montana. 



From 1934 on 3 until interrupted by World I Jar II, the survey program at 

 this station concentrated its main effort in the heavily forested 

 counties west of the Continental Divide. As the data were compiled, 

 statistical reports !/ were published for each county in the Western 

 Unit. In addition to the statistical data, the survey in the Western 

 Unit included the preparation of detailed cover-type maps. 



In the Eastern Unit, that part of the State east of the Continental 

 Divide, field work was completed in four counties (Cascade, Chouteau, 

 Fergus, and Judith Basin) before the survey was terminated because of 

 the [/■Jar. Statistical reports for these counties, except Cascade, were 

 released in 1943. Cascade County was covered in a report issued in 

 1948. 



Following World War II the forest survey was reactivated in the 

 Eastern Unit. Because of the limited funds available for completing 

 the work in the State, the survey method was streamlined to sample 

 for area, volume, growth, and noncommodity drain. Field work was 

 resumed in 1947 and completed in the fall of 1949. In this period 

 some 8 million acres of forest land in 43 counties were sampled. 

 Since the sampling was not intensive enough to give detailed, reli- 

 able statistics by counties, the findings were summarized by groups 

 of counties. Four county groups were delineated: Northern (19 

 counties), Southern (15 counties), South Central (9 counties), and 

 Central (4 counties). Separate statistical reports were released 

 for the first three of these county groups. 



Thus, in 1950 we have for the first time a detailed, systematic 

 summary of Montana's timber resource. This statistical report 

 brings together these basic data. It contains inventory data, on the 

 area of forest land, the timber volume, the current annual net growth, 

 the average annual commodity drain, and forest industry production. 

 A comprehensive analysis of the statistical data is being made and 

 will be published in bulletin form. 



1/ A list of reports published by the forest survey for Montana is 

 given on page 48. 



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