Salt Lake Telegram | 1931-12-31 | Page 4 | Forest Areas Provide Asset for Citizens

fO FOREST REST AR AREAS PROVIDE ASSET fOR CITIZENS Timbered Lands Furnish Pasturage for Sheep and Cattle B By A. A G. G NORD Supervisor Wasatch National Forest Great benefits ar are being derived by residents of Utah from the vast national forest areas of the state The forests furnish summer pas pas- urage for approximately sheep and cattle as well as approximately approximately deer mountain sheep and elk More than persons use the forest orest lands for recreation each sum sum- mer Utah forests s' contain some of the most important watersheds in th the United States while mountain streams furnish an abundance of wa wa- ter er for lor power and irrigation Population and industry in Utah h have ve always developed near high mountain ranges for here are arc the sources of the fundamental wealth of the state state minerals minerals water for irrigation ir- ir and power forage and tim ber National forests occupy most 0 ol of these high mountain ranges hemming hemming hem hem- ming in the populous valleys CLOSE RELATIONSHIP The Thc close relationship between national na na- national ional forests and the centers of ot population population population pop pop- pop pop- is also reflected in the fact tact I that hat Utah is the only state in the I union that has national forest land landin in n every county In the interest of public welfare all resources of f the national forest whether timbered or or not must be wisely handled A let alone policy will vill not do nor will management that hat deals with one resource alone It t is the job o of the forest servi service e to manage all aU these mountain resources in n such way that they may insure the prosperity of the entire state The forest land in Utah totals more than han acres which is more than ban acres larger than the farm arm area of the state NATIONAL FORESTS The names and acreage c of of the nine national forests in Utah arc are Ashley Cache Dixie 79 Fish Lake LaSal Manti ManU Powell Uintah and Wasatch Utah has approximately board oard feet of timber within the national na na- lonal forests There are four main evergreen species of commercial value for saw timber These are western yellow pine Douglas fir fit Engelman spruce and lodgepole pine All of the forests of ot Utah are valuable valuable val val val- in protecting and stabilizing the he stream flow essential to tion Ion The for forests can supply around board feet of timber a year exclusive of ot that which goes into cordwood and posts This is approximately approximately ap ap- ap proximately one half of lumber needs of the state Under the forest service management manage manage- ment meat the amount of lumber produced produced pro pro- annually in Utah will Increase particularly in the forest areas close to o the cities clUes and towns which were cut heavily in the early days and which now with proper protection are reproducing and growing rap rap- idly I