Iron County Record | 1955-04-28 | Page 10 | Dixie Forest Rangers to Wage War on Black Hills Beetle

Dixie Forest Rangers ToWaae War On Black Hills Beetle Efforts to combat insects which are now attacking the virgin! stands of ponderosa pine timber on the Dixie National Forest began be-gan this week, according to Boyd Leonard, timber staff officer. A training school for the key foremen and strawbosses was held in Panguitch on April 28 under the direction of Ranger S. L. Cuskelly. The project superintendent sup-erintendent will be Assistant Ranger Adrian Dalton, who will supervise a force of from 30 to 50 men on the Powell Ranger district. dis-trict. Work this year will be centered cen-tered on th East Fork of the Sevier River where the insect infestation in-festation has spread into areas not yet controlled. Control work will not be necessary this year on three ranger districts where treatment was applied last year. Black Hills Beetle control in ponderosa pine is necessary to pi event large losses of timber. The spread is rapid when this insect in-sect gets a good start, according to Leonard. Control work keeps the Infestation in check andi makes it possible to conduct an orderly logging program. An es-1 timated 15 million board feet of green sawtimber will be cut from the Dixie National Forest this year. The annual allowable cut has been temporarily increased in order to supplement the efforts ef-forts of the insect control workers work-ers and reduce the insect potential poten-tial from the older mature trees in many areas, Mr. Leonard said.