June 1,1925 
Reproduction of Engelmann Spruce 
1001 
The manner in which this advance 
growth has come in is significant. The 
forest floor in these stands is covered 
by a heavy vegetation made up of 
Menziesia glabella, M. ferruginea, Vac- 
cinium sp., Pachystima myrsinites, 
Rubus parviflorus, and Arnica sp. 
Tag alder and vine maple ( Acer 
circinatum) also occur in clumps in 
the stand. The duff surface, which is 
well shaded by the stand and the vege¬ 
tative cover, consists of a heavy mat 
of undecomposed and semidecomposed 
needles, leaves, and twigs in which 
moss appears occasionally. 
Seedlings of alpine fir were found in 
certain numbers on the duff layer but 
practically no seedlings of spruce 
(pi. 4). This lack was strikingly 
noticeable. Spruce seedlings were 
found, however, on the mounds of up¬ 
turned root systems of wind-thrown 
trees and on decaying, moss-covered 
logs, especially on decaying logs which 
were covered with a mat of moss under 
conditions which favor the growth of 
twin flower ( Linnaea borealis amer- 
icana ). Seedlings were also found in 
the bark scale accumulations around 
the stumps of trees. The occurrence 
of spruce seedlings on these surfaces 
in the green timber appears to hold 
true generally in the spruce type 
(pi. 5). The complete explanation of 
this phenomenon will require addi¬ 
tional instrumental study. Present 
findings indicate, however, that this 
reproduction, while sufficient to per¬ 
petuate a forest following a selection 
cutting—that is, to supply the natural 
loss—is not sufficient to restock the 
stand. 
Restocking in the northern Rockies 
runs predominantly to alpine fir in the 
natural forest. Alpine fir is, however, 
disposed to defect to a much greater 
extent than spruce, and never attains 
the dimensions of the latter. The 
reconnaissance data for a typical sec¬ 
tion of 640 acres show the average 
number of logs per thousand board 
feet for spruce to be 7.5 and for alpine 
fir to be 16.5. Thus stocking after 
selection cutting has the disadvantage 
of insufficiency and of favoring the 
less desirable species. 
CUT-OVER LAND-MIXED STANDS AT 
LOWER MARGIN OF TYPE 
Old cuttings of timber claims and 
cuttings along the Great Northern 
Railway right of way, as well as timber 
sale cuttings on Nyack and Deerlick 
Creeks of the Flathead National 
Forest, Mont., yielded the same con¬ 
clusions regarding the reproduction of 
Engelmann spruce as for the natural 
stands at the higher elevations. The 
areas studied by sample plots were 
situated at the lower margin of the 
spruce type, about Nyack, Mont., on 
the Great Northern Railway. 
Table II. — Detailed observations of occurrence of seedlings in uncut stands or in 
freshly cut stands at lower margin of type 
Nature of surface 
Protection 
Engel¬ 
mann 
spruce 
Aipine 
Range 
in 
age 
Decaying log covered with moss__— 
Stump shade from south; sarsaparilla, 
Cornus, and thimbleberry. 
In shadow of vine maple, fern, and yew 
In shadow of thimbleberry, sarsapa¬ 
rilla, alder, and yew. 
In shadow of alder and sarsaparilla— 
In shadow of thimbleberry and sarsa- 
^ parilla. 
Number 
4 
Number 
Years 
4 to 9 
Decaying stump covered with needles.. 
Decayed log, now a mound covered 
with moss and Linnaea. 
On humus near the above... 
3 
5 to 7 
42 
3 to 10 
$ 
2 to 10 
10-foot decayed log covered with moss 
and leaf mold. 
Decayed log covered with moss and 
mold—Linnaea and lycopods. 
Decayed log covered with moss and 
leaf mold 1 inch thick. 
On decayed stump covered with moss 
}• 32 
8 
/°2tol0 
\ 5 2tol0 
f °6 to 10 
|Shaded only by dense stand overhead. 
33 
11 
4 
l > 10 
/ a 7to15 
WtO 15 
/«3tol5 
and mold. 
On mound of upturned roots 5 feet 
above ground level; no alpine fir was 
found here. 
Decayed log stub covered with leaf 
mold in which twinflower is growing. 
In opening of stand; receives direct 
light about 2 hours in the day. 
In scanty shade of Menziesia and Vac- 
cinium. 
l *6 
10 to 15 
9 
2 
3 to 10 
Engelmann spruce. 
1 Alpine fir. 
