UTILIZATION AND MANAGEMENT OF LODGEPOLE PINE. 45 
Table 21 shows the result of direct seeding on some of the National 
forests in Colorado and Montana. It will be seen that in the former 
State the direct seeding of lodgepole pine has been attended with a 
fair degree of success, while in the latter it has been practically a 
total failure. It is not easy to account for this difference, though it 
seems that the greater rainfall of Colorado has had its effect. Though 
enough reforestation work has not yet been done to demonstrate 
conclusively the possibilities of direct seeding, it seems certain that 
in Montana a more satisfactory stand can be secured at less cost by 
setting out plants raised in a nursery than by sowing seed directly 
on the site, while in Colorado, on the other hand, direct seeding 
should give the best results, provided conditions are favorable. 
Under adverse conditions, of course, reforestation by direct seeding 
can not be expected to prove successful even in Colorado. 
PLANTING. 
While comparatively little lodgepole pine has been planted, the 
experiments conducted by the Forest Service prove pretty conclu- 
sively that this method of reforestation will be successful. If grown 
on a large scale, 3-year-old transplants can be raised at a cost of from 
$3 to $5 per thousand. Field planting at the rate of 1,000 to the 
acre costs from $6 to $8 per thousand, making the total cost per acre 
from $9 to $13. This is considerably more than the cost of direct 
seeding where the latter is successful the first time, yet so few sites 
are fitted for seeding that planting will in most places cost less in 
the long run. If the ground has to be seeded several times to obtain 
a satisfactory stand, planting will have a great advantage in cost. 
One obstacle to artificial reforestation with lodgepole pine is the 
tree's slow rate of growth. This means that interest charges on the 
original investment must be carried for a long time, and also that 
yield is comparatively small. Lodgepole pine will yield about 
10,900 board feet of timber per acre in 100 years, worth $4 per thou- 
sand. With a cost for planting of $9 per acre and a charge of 5 
cents per acre per year for fire protection, a planted stand of lodge- 
pole pine will yield only 1^ per cent on the money invested. Western 
white pine, on the other hand, with a cost for planting of $7 per acre 
and a charge of 10 cents per acre per year, yields 75,000 board feet 
per acre in 100 years, worth $5 per thousand, or a return of 6| per 
cent on the money invested. With the rotation of 140 years which 
would ordinarily be required for lodgepole pine, the comparison 
would be still more unfavorable to it. Lodgepole pine will hardly 
be planted on a large scale until large areas of more productive 
sites have been reported. 
Where it is desired to reestablish the forests over a large area at 
the lowest cost, small groups of 5 or 6 trees may be planted, -the 
groups 40 or 50 feet apart. Such groups could be counted on to 
begin the reseeding of the remainder of the area as soon as the trees 
