| OCR Text |
Show Ashley Forest Reports A Year i Of Activity As '47 Wears End i . One of the busiest field sea-' sea-' sons since the abandonment of the CCC program is drawing to a close on the Ashley National Forest, announces Ona A. Har-j ' rison, forest supervisor. WATERSHED PROTECTION In the administration of all resources re-sources on the Ashley National f Forest during the past year, paramount consideration has been given to the maintaining of the vegetative cover and keeping ' the top soil in place. . Water originating m the high altitudes on the forest serves the ncople in seven important western wes-tern states for domestic, irrigation, irriga-tion, industrial, fish propogation and' power purposes. The utilization of the various resources is permitted and the use of the land is enjoyed con-- con-- tin cent upon the prevention of - damage from erosion 'or a serious : impa.nnent -of the range and Over 26 small communities adjacent to the forest are de- , pendent on a regular stream flow . for community existance and industrial development. I SALE OF TIMBER EXPANDED j Regardless of the increased) snow-fall during the winter and the frequent and above normal rainfall during the summer months which hindered logging " operations at the higher eleva-tions, eleva-tions, over 25 million board feet of l'odgepolc pine, Engleman. spruce, and ponderosa pine saw-timber saw-timber and mine props were sold to better than 200 local individuals indivi-duals and 20 sawmill operators cutting timber on the forest, i One of the largest bodies of uncut merchantable timber in Utah is part of the resources of the Ashley, which forest is gradually gra-dually becoming one of the lead-i- ing Utah forests in amount of timber cut and sold. Five hundred acres of ponderosa ponder-osa western yellow pine were treated during the year to control con-trol Elack Hills bark beetle in- festation during the year. MINING ... An impetus m mining activities has occured on the forest during ' the past year. A large number J of claims have been filed for '. copper, zinc, lead, asphalt and , other minerals. Many claims on forest land in "? both Utah and Wyoming have been leased for gas and oil development. de-velopment. GRAZING Even though 80 of the ' Ashley is classified as timber land, approximately 9,000 cattle ,r' : and 77,000 sheep, owned by 222 I users, find summer forage around ): the high alpine lakes or in the small grassy parks. - During the past year 1500 ocres were reseeded to brome and K wheatgrass, and 500 acres of . sagebrush were railed and re-' re-' seeded. WILDLIFE Approximately 10,000 deer, 500 elk, 50 bear and 500 antelope ante-lope frequent o.r make their home on the forest. A special post-season doc hunt was conducted con-ducted this year by the State Fish and Game Commission in order to maintain a vigorous , deer herd within the estimated carrying capacity of the wildlife wild-life winter range. ' A wildlife census by plane was conducted jointly in the spring by the Vernal Rod and Gun Club, The State Fish and Game Department, and the Fpr-. est Service. Two investigations were made "of the winter range by interested sportsmen, stockmen, stock-men, organizations and agencies to determine the amount of forage for-age utilization, the condition pf fange, and the class of stock responsible for the use observed. fX ENGINEERING r RECREATION . Snow measurements were I taken by the rangers on 8 es-: tablished snow courses. m Approximately 10,000 visitors sought enjoyment, inspiration, and relaxation on the forest during 1947. Protection and maintenance was accomplished on 36 improved campgrounds and picnic areas, 75 special use sites, 800 miles of trail, 260 miles of road, 160 miles of fence, 131 water systems and water developments, devel-opments, 254 miles of telephone line and 15 buildings. The major project started this year was the construction of the Red Cloud road from the forest boundary in Dry Fork for 1G miles to the Iron Springs road near the old Red Cloud Ranger Station. The road now 70 completed com-pleted will make accessible 135 million feet board measure of merchantable lodgepole nine and Engleman spruce timber. A government camp was established es-tablished in Brownies Canyon where from 40 to 60 men were lodged and subsisted. Heavy equipment was transported from the Regional Office at Ogden, Utah, and other forests, and two crews were worked dougle shift at times to expedite completion of the project while weather conditions con-ditions were favorable. , Heavy equipment is being overhauled and it is planned lhat work will be resumed on this road 'in early spring. Other 1 than timber operators, this road will be used extensively by i graziers, rccreationists, wildlile managers, water users and forest for-est administrators. The recreation values on the Ashley forest have only been enjoyed en-joyed by the minority. The majestic ma-jestic scenery in Sheep Creek, the grandeur of Red Gorge near Green Lakes( the sublimity of the panoramic view from the high Uintas may only be realized by a trip to these areas. The canals constructed by the Aztecs near Greendale, Hideout Hide-out Canyon or Browns Park, the rendevous of Butch Cassidy and other notorious outlaws, are of interest to the historian and traveler. |
