OCR Text |
Show Forest Notes Timber Trespass Ranger Thursby reports that wood haulers in Ephraim have been cutting green Juniper and pinon pine. Others have taken oak without first securing a free use permit. Green pinon and juniper cannot be granted free; however a free use permit for green oak and maple will be furnished upon request. Improvement Work Ranger Thursby has recently completed the boundary fence project pro-ject in the mouth of Oak Creek Canyon east of Spring City. New Machine Shed Completed The new machine shed and tool house at Ephraim was completed com-pleted on December 14th. The same day the Mc-Cormick-Deer-ing tractor and grader which have been on the Manti Canyon job since July were the first of our equipment to be brought in for winter storage under the cover of the new building. The building is 32' by 56', has a concrete foundation founda-tion and is covered with 24 gauge-galvanized gauge-galvanized iron. , Snow Measurements It is reported that on December 2, there were seven inches of snow in Emery. At the same time there were about two inches at the Bear Creek Ranger Station. This is one storm which the west side of the mountain and Sanpete Valley missed. Ranger Thursby reports that there were not to exceed five inches of snow on the Blue Bell Flat on December 5. The favorable fa-vorable weather has made it possible pos-sible for an unusually large amount of wood and timber to be brought from the mountains into Sanpete Valley. Forest Service Shows Reduced Number of Employees A comparative statement sent out by the Forest dervice at Washington for the years 1920 and 1931, shows that the National Nation-al Forests through consolidations have been reduced from 151 in 1920 to 145 in 1931. Ranger districts dis-tricts have been enlarged until there are now 707, where as in 1920 there were 842. The reduction reduc-tion In Forest Service employees amounts to 147 men. The total area in the National Forests in 1931 exceeded the total area in 1920 by 4,755,634 acres. Recreational visitors to the forests for-ests increased from 4,832,670 in 1920 to 32,228,600 in 1931. Land exchange cases increased from 8 in 1920 to 135 in 1931. Timber sales increased more than 2600 during the same period, while the total timber cut increased approximately approxi-mately 500,000,000 feet; miles of road constructed increased from 703 miles in 1920 to 2666 in 1931, trails from 1,768 miles in 1920 to 6895 for 1931. Because of the reduction re-duction in grazing fees, and on other Forest Service products in 1931 total receipts fell off considerable con-siderable over the 1920 total. Forage Production On a square of range, within an enclosure in Gunnison Valley, Ranger Cox harvested 13 ounces of forage, after the material had been thoroughly dried. The average aver-age for the 8 years 1924 to 1931 inclusive was 8.31 ounces. The yield this season is, therefore, 156 per cent of the 8 year average yield for the area. For 1931, the yield on the same plot was 5 ounces so that the difference between be-tween the forage yield for 1931 and 1932 on this area was 260 per cent. There are 4,840 square yard in an acre, with a yield of 13 ounces per square yard, the total yield per acre amounts to 3,931 pounds. The yield for the 8 year average is 2,511 pounds per acre, while the minimum yield for 1931 amounts to 1,512 pounds. On a check area outside, after the close of the grazing season Ranger Cox harvested one and one-half ounces ounc-es of forage that had not been taken. tak-en. This years average, less this ounce and a half which would not be used under conditions as they were in 1932 would indicate that that kind of range will yield 3,-479 3,-479 pounds of air dry forage per acre, that can ordinarily be utilized. util-ized. From the above figures it can be readily seen that it is decidedly de-cidedly to the interest of the stockmen to build up their ranges until they are producing the maximum max-imum amount of which they are capable. The above yield is perhaps per-haps better than the average yield for cultivated hay land throughout Sanpete County. It sTiould be born in mind, however, that the areas upon which the study was made is some of the choicest range on the forest, also that there is considerable waste land where the maximum yield would not even approach the figure fi-gure above given. It is at least interesting in-teresting to study range conditions condi-tions with a view of determining just what we can and should expect ex-pect of our summer grazing lands. From The Forester's Report Possibilities for improving depleted de-pleted spring ranges in the oak-brush oak-brush zone of central Utah were disclosed by a series of grazing tests. Where grazing was withheld until several weeks after growth started, grasses practically doubled their density, a 50 per cent increase in-crease took place in all vegetation, and the grazing capacity was increased in-creased by from 35 to 40 per cent. On the other hand, where grazing began from 10 to 14 days before the range was ready for it, the grazing capacity declined 25 per cent and the total density slightly; slight-ly; but sagebrush more than doubled in density, nearly offsetting off-setting what the grasses and more palatable weeds lost. Where grazing graz-ing was deferred each year until seed maturity, grazing capacity increased in-creased 73 per cent, accompanied by a gain in density of approximately approxi-mately 80 per cent; shrubs almost al-most trebled density, and grasses spread approximately 200 per cent. Good Lambs The Supervisor's office is in receipt re-ceipt of a letter from J. L. Niel- son of Fountain Green, the president presi-dent of the Manti National Forest For-est Woolgrowers' Association in which he advises us that his lambs from the Monument Ridge Allotment averaged 72 pounds on September 28. He states, however, that a bunch of his lambs mixed from the Bear Ridge and Cabin Hollow allotments averaged 79 pounds on October 12. These lambs were dropped in May, beginning be-ginning on the 14th of the month. For late lambs Mr. Nielson thinks these weights are hard to beat. Cooperation De Luxe The following is taken from a letter received by Ranger Williams from one of his grazing permittees: permit-tees: "Since I will perhaps not be In charge of the herd next season, I am herewith handing you a synopsis of the principal things that have been done, I believe, be-lieve, in line with the Forest Service Ser-vice requirements, as understood by our helpers and myself: We have at all times tried to so graze our herd as not to damage the range beyond recovery. We have never left a camp ground in an unsightly condition; burying all cans, ashes from camp stoves, etc. We have at no time or place violated vio-lated the fish and game laws. Our various helpers and myself have killed abcut 40 (more cr less; porcupines. During favorable seasons we have scattered considerable native grass seeds over barren areas. We have extinguished two fires found in the inception stage upon our allotment, located at or upon areas where great damage would have resulted to the timber had they not been extinguished in gocd time. One of which was, br yond any reasonable doubt of incendiary in-cendiary origin. The others were due to careless campers. Too, whenever we have found one or more of our sheep dead in a place where they would drain into the stream, we have moved them to a safe distance from such drainage ways. Referring again to our observance observ-ance of the fish and game laws: At various times during my work with the herd on the reserve, we have discovered 3 deer and one elk that were dead, all having been shot through the body by person or persons unknown to us. These dead animals were of course found upon our allotment, otherwise other-wise I would have no occasion to mention the matter. Assuring you that I appreciate your many courteous acts, and only on-ly regret that I was not able to see more of you during my time spent on the Forest, and extending extend-ing to you the compliments oi tne season, I remain Unemployment Relief In this issue of the Manti News Notes we extend to all our readers read-ers best wishes for a happy prosperous pros-perous new year. At this time of the year we naturally begin to check over the year that is past, to see what our accomplishments have been, and what has caused our failures. The year has been a busy one, because of the funds appropriated for unemployment relief. In the expenditure these funds we have will complete an automobile road or at least a road that an automobile can negotiate without difficulty from Manti to the top of the mountain, from Ferron to the Ferron Reservoir, from Mayfield to the Mt. Baldy Ranger Station and from Spring City to the top of the mountain in the head of Black Canyan. Other improvements constructed are: A wood road in New Canycn, the changing of the cattle guard and widening the Huntington Canyon Can-yon road, and the construction of the Gentry Mountain drift fence. Tool house and machine sheds at Mammoth Ranger Station, in lower low-er Joe's Valley and at Ephraim were built. A power house has also al-so been constructed in lower Joe's Valley and in addition to the above, we have taken care of our r regular maintenances of roads and trails throughout the forest. Nearly 700 families have benefited by reason of the money's expend- ' ed on the above mentioned improvements. im-provements. Game During the past year there has ; been planted in the streams and ; lakes in the Manti Forest 318.000 fish and fry from the State Hatchery Hatch-ery at Springville, and 70,000 fry and fingerlings from the Federal Hatchery. 38,500 from the State Hatchery were 7 inches long at the time of planting. 175,000 were 4 inches long arid 100,000 were fry. Of the 70,000 planted from the State Hatchery, 45,000 were No. 4 rainbow fingerlings and 25,-000 25,-000 were native fry. Fishing was not especially good in 1932, but with this heavy re-stocking we hope that fishing will be exceptionally excep-tionally good next season. The rangers' reports for 1932 show the total estimated number of deer on the Manti Forest at 9,400 and elk at 1,000, also 120 bear. The total number of elk is somewhat smaller small-er than our estimates a year ago. We are basing our figures largely on the airplane count of the elk made last February. 833 deer were killed during the hunting season. 168 deer and 18 elk have been killed by predatory animals. 2605 deer hunters killed the 833 bucks referred to; approximately approx-imately one out of three hunters being successful. The records show that 25 lions, 477 coyotes, 80 bobcats, bob-cats, 6 bear and 863 porcupines were also killed during the past season. Fish and Game Associations There are six fish and game associations as-sociations in the communities that lie adjacent to the Manti Forest. Of these, the Eastern Utah Fish and Game Association, with headquarters head-quarters at Price has the largest membership. This association owns a tank truck which has been on all parts of the Manti Forest in re-stocking the streams. Beaver The total number of beaver on the Manti Forest remains somewhat some-what stationary. Last season a pair of beaver were planted on the Muddy water shed, sometime later one of these animals was founo. killed and eaten, approximately two miles from the stream where it was planted. The remaining beaver, however, has apparently done very well, since its workings have been observed by a number of stockmen from Emery. Transplanting Trans-planting beaver should be continued contin-ued until it is definite that animals ani-mals of both sexes are present. Otherwise, it is more or less a waste of time, and one or the other of the animals may attempt to find a mate by walking over land to other streams. In this way they may be over taken and destroyed de-stroyed by their natural enemiss. |