Show MANTI LaSAL SUPERVISOR REPORTS ON 1952 ACTIVITIES With the year 1953 drawing to a close Forest Supervisor James O. O Stewart summed up the activities on the acre LaSal Manti-LaSal National Forest Forest Forest For For- est lying in parts of Carbon Emery Sanpete Sevier Utah Grand and San Juan counties in Utah and Montrose County Colorado in the following statements The livestock ranges were above average in condition be because because because be- be cause of the heavy snowfall of the past winter and frequent rains throughout the growing s sea season e a s son o n of the range forage plants As a result cattle and sheep left the forest ranges in September and October in very good flesh as a whole Many old time stockmen said they had never seen the livestock come off the ranges in better condi condi- tion That was particularly true for those range areas that have not been seriously damaged in other years by excessive grazing and from the ranges that have been restored by Approximately Approximately Approximately Ap Ap- Ap- Ap proximately cattle and sheep are grazed on the the- forest during the s sum summer u m m mer e r months some ome was expended expend expend- ed on new grass projects projects projects pro pro- during the year The bulk of the work was done in Manti lanti Canyon Six Mile canyon canyon canyon can can- yon and South Hollow in Sanpete Sanpete Sanpete San San- pete county and on Horn Mountain Mountain Moun Moun- tain in Emery county The re- re seeding done by the Forest Service Service Service Ser Ser- vice in Manti and Six Mile lile canyons can canyons can can- was supplemented by additional additional additional addi addi- seeding of grass by th the local cattle associations who graze cattle in those canyons The South Hollow project was wasa a cooperative job between the State Game Department and the Forest Service Here grass seed was planted It was realized grass is of small value for deer feed The purpose was to relieve relieve re relieve re- re lieve heavy or double use of browse ranges by both cattle and deer and leave the browse for the deer and graze the cattle cattle cat cat- tl tle on the area planted to grass The forest was exceptionally free of destructive fires during the spring and summer months because of the wet season and carefulness with fires by users of the forest The fall was ex exceptionally exceptionally exceptionally ex- ex free of rain The forest became tinder dry Forest Forest Forest For For- est rangers looked forward with misgiving to opening of the deer eason season when thousands of hunters hunters hunters hunt hunt- ers would be in the mountains The rangers weren't worried by what 99 per cent of the hunters would do for they knew that as asa asa asa a general class they are good sportsmen and would not throw throwaway throwaway throwaway away lighted matches and cigarettes cigarettes cig cig- or leave camp fires burning burning burning burn burn- ing when they left camp The Continued on Page 5 Manti anti LaSal Forest Foret Supervisor Reports 0 On n 1952 Activities Continued from Page One 1 per cent was a cause of worry and with some justification Two rather large fires occurred on the north end of the Manti Division Di Division Division Di- Di vision in Starvation and Fish Creek Canyons It appeared quite evident those fires were r started by careless hunters During the regular deer and elk hunting seasons climatic conditions were adverse r f for o 0 r I good hunting Conditions were all in favor of the game animals Temperatures were abnormally high for that time of the year and md game animals kept to the themore themore themore more heavily wooded areas Their sensitive ears could detect the a approach p p pro r o a c h of hunters going through brush and Vand stepping on and breaking dry twigs long be before before before be- be fore the hunters knew of the presence of the game animals In spite of the poor hunting conditions conditions con con- deer hunters fared prettY pretty pretty pret pret- ty well as a whole although it required more than the normal four or five days that m most m o 0 s t tr r local hunters take for getting their game Timber sale ale activities were about about about a- a bout normal on the Manti lanti Division Division Divi- Divi r sion of the forest where approximatelY approximately t two million of board r feet of timber are cut each year lost ll Most of this timber is cut by bya byl l a large number of small sawmill sawmill sawmill saw saw- mill operators and consist primarily i marily manly of oC Engelmann spruce Other timber species cut are aret t r derosa pine Douglas fir and Alpine Alpine Alpine Al- Al pine fir On the LaSal division L where also the normal annual r cut is about two million board C I feet timber operations were beC be below below be- be low normal because of the largest largest largest lar lar- gest operator being unable to keep his logging and milling work going throughout the summer summer sum sum- mer season because of various various' factors Here practically all theT ther the T r timber Umber cut is ponderosa pine i r Recreation use by ers campers and fishermen was r about normal with ManU Manti canyon f i t Ephraim canyon Huntington r F canyon and Ferron Perron Reservoir EL L E receiving most of the visits on ont t l the Manti ManU Division and the Wars Varner Warner War War- s ner Recreation Area and North r f Canyon receiving most of the visits on the LaSal Division Of I course big game hunting is primarily primarily 1 marily a recreation activity There were more deer and elk hunters on the forest in 1952 than in any other year in his his- tory While not direct activities of the Forest Service but nevertheless nevertheless nevertheless nev nev- of interest since they were carried on in the forest were coal mining uranium minting mining mining min mint ing and gas well drilling More 1 coal is mined within th the forest boundaries on the Division Division Division Divi Divi- sion of the forest than on on any other National Forest in the Intermountain Intermountain Intermountain In- In Region Uranium mining is an important activity on the LaSal Division on the Moab loab and Monticello 1 ranger districts districts districts dis dis- dis- dis and the Manti 1 Division has come into prominence withIn within within with with- in the past year because of the ther f r- r natural gas wells that have been beenu r I u |