Show t ve i d E EG Lp q I i G t 4 0 4 k a t t tt t r Y V 1 1 k v a SICK LOOKING trees Not necessarily The section of forest given a appearance lower portions Just lack sunlight that's all The near the eastern end of the scenic Red Cloud pine trees have grown S so dense that sunlight can can Loop not penetrate all but the tops of the trees The Dense bare forest stands out A patch of forest near the eastern end of the Red Cloud Loop in the Ashley Valley National Forest reveals thin packed densely pine trees with little to show for about the first two thirds of the lengths anemic looking trees are healthy however even though foresters have had their problems with Mountain Pine Beetle infestations The lower limbs get shut out The sunlight cant can't get through so the needles die said Dick of the Ashley National Forest The Forest Service can correct the situation by thinning out that part of the for forest st which is standard management practice As far as lumber production is con con- concerned its it's an advantage not to have the lower branches because it means less knots in the wood said He noted that ornamental trees around homes may look healthy in comparison to what's in the forest for one reason standing alone they get more sunlight Driving through the thick trees in late afternoon with the sun lower in the sky brings on the feeling of driving through a tunnel It looks even darker inside the forest itself The The area is a few miles east of US north of Vernal about the only spot along the Red Cloud Loop where here trees grow that thick |