Show j MANTI LaSAL SUPERVISOR REPORTS ON 1952 ACTIVITIES i With the year 1953 drawing to a n close For Forest est Supervisor James O. O Stewart summed up 1 the activities on the acre Manti- Manti Manti-LaSal Manti LaSal National Forest Fore Forest For For- e est t 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 Th livestock ranges were above average in condition because be because because be be- cause of the heavy snowfall of the past winter and frequent r rains throughout the growing s sea season e a s son o nn of the range forage plants As Asa a result cattle and sheep left the forest ranges in September and Oct October ber in very good flesh as a whole Many old time stockmen said they had never never seen the livestock come off the ranges in better condi condi- tion That was particularly true for those range areas that tha 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 forest during the s sum summer u m m mer e r months Some was expended expend expend- ed cd on new grass projects projects projects pro pro- during the year The bulk of the work was done in ManU Manti 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 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 1 canyons canyons 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 a and the Fure IV T nii e ewas was planted It was realized grass is of small value for deer f feed ed The purpose was to re relieve relieve 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 cattle cat cat- tle on the area planted to grass The forest was exceptionally S free of destructive fires during the spring and summer months S because of the wet season and nud carefulness with fires by users users of the forest The fall was 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 season ceason 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 m matches and cigarettes cigarettes cig cig- or leave camp fires burning burning burning burn burn- ing when they left camp T the he Continued on Page 5 Manti anti LaSal Fores ores Supervisor Reports On 1952 Activities Continued from Page One 1 per cent was a cause of worry and with some justification Tw rather large fires occurred o othe orthe or orthe n the north end of the Manti Division Di Dl vision in Starvation and Fist Fisli Creek Canyons It appeared quite evident those fires were started by careless hunters During the regular deer an am and elk hunting seasons climatic climati c conditions were adverse f for o 0 I c good hunting Conditions were e all in favor of the game came animals Temperatures were abnormally high for that time of the year and game animals kept to themore themore the themore more heavily wooded areas Their r sensitive ears could detect then thea the n a approach p p pro r o a c It h of hunters going through brush and 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 conditions con con- deer hunters fared pretty pretty pretty pret pret- ty well as a whole although it required more than the normal our Jour or of five days that m most o 0 s t local focal hunters take for getting their game Timber sale activities were about a- a bout out normal on the Manti Division Division Division Divi Divi- sion of the forest where approximately approximately two million of board feet of timber are cut each year Most 1 of this timber is cut byn bya by a n lar large laree e number of small saw- saw mill operators and consist primarily primarily marily of Engelmann spruce Other timber species cut are derosa pine Douglas fir and Al Alpine Alpine Alpine Al- Al pine fir On the LaSal division where also the normal annual cut is about two million board feet timber operations were be below 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 summer sum sum- mer season because of various factors Here practically all the timber Umber cut is ponderosa pine Recreation use by ers cis campers and fishermen was about normal with ManU Manti canyon I Ephraim canyon Huntington canyon and Ferron Reservoir receiving most of the visits on the Manti ManU Division and the Warner Warner War War- J ner er Recreation Area and North Canyon receiving most of the visits on the LaSal Division Of course big game hunting is primarily primarily marily manily a recreation activity There were more deer and elk hunters on the forest in 1952 than in any other year ni 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 mini mining lg uranium mining mining min mm- ing jug 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 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 ranger districts districts districts dis dis- and the Manti ManU Division has come into prominence withIn within within with with- in the past year because of the natural gas wells that have been |