Class. Book OFFICIAL DONATION. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR-U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY CHARLES D. WAXCOTT, DIRECTOR THE LEWIS AND CLARKE FOREST RESERVE, MONTANA BY H. B. AY RES EXTRACT FROM THE TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT OF THE SURVEY, 1899-1900 PART V, FOREST RESERVES— HENRY GANNETT, CHIEF OF DIVISION OF GEOGRAPHY AND FORESTRY WASHINGTON GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE 19 00 " LEWIS AND CLARKE FOREST RESERVE. MONTANA II. B. AYUHK APR 13 1905 D. of D. CONTENTS. Pag< Boundaries 35 Topography - ' S6 Rock , 37 Soil 37 Humus 38 Litter 38 Agricultural and grazing land 39 The forest . 41 Species 41 Distribution 41 Size and quality - 41 Estimates 44 Young growth 44 Underbrush 15 Cutting 16 Fi res 47 Extent 47 < lauses is Intensity 48 Damage 4!) Deady '""1 49 Reproduction 19 Liability to tire 50 Effei-t of fire on composition of forest . 50 Kate of growth "ill Accessibility 51 Markets 52 Suggestions for management 52 Regulations suggested for cutting 53 Mining 53 Climate... 53 Occupancy. 5 i Fish and game 55 V : 55 Explanation of maps 56 Missouri River drainage or eastern slope of Continental Divide 57 Topography 57 Rock 57 Soil 57 Subsoil 57 Litter 5s Trees and timber 58 29 30 CONTENTS. Misssouri River drainage or eastern slope of < 'ontinental Divide — Continued. Page. Young growth 60 Underbrush 60 Firea 60 Reproduction 61 Effect of burns on water flow 62 I I. •:(' Iw I 62 Cutting 62 Transportation 63 I Vn Kind 64 Agricultural land 64 J rrigal ion 64 Occupancy 64 Water pi iwer 65 Mining _ 65 Valley of Middle Fork of Flathead River 65 Ti ipography 55 Rock 65 Soil 65 Litter 66 Humus 66 Trees and timber 66 Estimates 66 Yi mng '_ r n iwth 66 Underbrush 67 Fires 67 Deadw « »1 67 Cutting 67 Transportation 67 Demand 67 Agricultural land 68 Water power _ 68 Occupancy 68 Mining 68 Valley i if Si mth Fork of Flathead River 68 Topography 68 Ri «k 69 Soil 69 Subsoil 69 Humus 69 Litter 70 Trees and timber _ 70 Yc mng growth 71 Underbrush 71 Fires and reproduction 72 Effect of fires 72 Deadwood 7M Cutting 73 Transportation 73 Demand 73 Agricultural land 73 Irrigation 73 Occupancy 73 Water power 73 Mining 73 CONTENTS. 31 Swan-Clearwater Valley 74 Topography 74 Rock 74 Soil 74 Sul llrOil _ 75 Humus 75 Litter 75 Trees and timber 75 Young or sapling growth 7B Underbrush 77 Fires _ 77 Reproduction 7s Deadwood 79 Cutting __ 7;i Transportation _ 711 Demand 7;i Agricultural land si) < < razing _ . . so ( lecupancy 80 Water power 80 fining 80 ILLUSTRATIONS. Page. Plate II. Jam of logs in Blackfoot River 35 III. Land-classification map, Lewis and Clarke Forest Reserve In atlas IV. .1, View along summit of eastern range. /.'. Mountains of lime- stone, North Fork of Teton Creek 36 V. .1, Head of North Fork of Sun River, against wall of Continental Divide. B, Severe burn on mountainside 36 VI. .1, Burned mountain side not restocked; now vegetation .if grass, lupine, rose, service berry, paint weed, etc. /•'. Hannon's ranch and valley of Storehouse ( 'reek 38 VII. .1, Mission Range from near Holland's ranch. />'. Yellow pine near Holland's ranch . Upper Swan River Valley 38 VIII. Map of Lewis and Clarke Forest Reserve, showing distribution of mountain larch, western larch, and Patton hemlock 40 IX. A, Upper Swan River Valley. B, Yellow pine on shore of Placid Lake 42 X. A, Mountain side looking east from Camp Creek Pass. /)', Opening in yellow-pine forest on Jocko trail, I mile north of Placid Lake. 42 XL A, Larch, yellow pine, and red fir with sparse seedlings. /•'. Yellow pine frequently and lightly burned . . 44 XII. A, Mill on Smith Creek, southwest of Haystack P>utte. /,', Dead- wood partly cut, South Fork of Teton Creek... 44 XIII. .1, Cutting and skidding on Placid Creek. /.', Burn of 1889, Upper Dearborn River, ."> miles cast of Ptarmigan Peak 46 XIV. Map of Lewis and Clarke Forest Reserve, showing distribution of cedar, hemlock, white pine, and silver fir 48 XV. .1, Dam across outlet of Placid Lake. B, Nutpine (Pinus albicaulw) killed by lire, south end of White Ridge near Middle Fork of Sun River. 50 XVI. .1, Lodgepole pine following larch and yellow pine killed by lire. B, Group of red fir probably killed by drought 50 XVII. .1, Effect of repeated fires. /.'. East shore of Swan Lake, near Bond's. 52 XVIII. .1. House of a squatter on the reserve. /A Colony of half-breed woodcutters ..n South Fork of Teton Creek 54 XIX. .1, Holland's ranch. Upper Swan River Valley. B, Cutting lodge- pole pine 54 XX. .1, Continental Divide from head of Little Badger Creek. B, Debris from burned mountain valley tributary to Dearborn River; from southwest slope of Mount Dearborn, 5 miles west of reserve line. 56 XXI. A, Mill on South Fork of Teton Creek. B, North Fork of Sun River, looking southeastward up valley 58 •_'l GEOL, PT 5 3 33 34 ILLUSTRATIONS. l'age. Plate XXII. .1, Valley of North Fork of Sun River, looking southward toward junction of North and Middle forks. B, Head of Middle Fork of Flathead River 60 XXIII. .1, Homestead cabin. B, Natural thinning among lodgepole pine, Upper Swan River Valley 62 XXIV. .1, Engelmann spruce on mountain side south of Upper Mon- tour Creek. /•'. Stump land unburned, adjoining reserve on the south 64 XXV. A, Swan Lake, looking southward from point •'! miles above out- let. II, Looking across lake toward McDonald Peak from summit of Swan-Clearwater Pass 66 XXVI. .1, Mixed forest of yellow pine, lodgepole pine, and larch. 1>. Yellow pine and larch, Upper Swan River Valley 68 XXVII. Map of Lewis and Clarke Forest Reserve, showing distribution i if yellow pine, white-hark pine, and limber pine 70 XXVIII. A, Large yellow pine, 2 miles north of Holland's ranch, Upper Swan River Valley. B, Line of burn of 1889 in lodgepole pine 72 XXIX. A, Effect of moderate fires; surviving larch with undergrowth of lodgepole pine, red fir, and larch. 73, Large yellow pine, sub- ordinate lodgepole; Jocko trail near Placid Lake. 74 XXX. A, Stump land in T. 26 ST., R. 19 W., restocked densely with red fir. B, Larch and lodgepi lie pine on burn of 1889 74 XXXI. A, Moderate burn in lodgepole pine and larch, mountain ridge west of north end of Elbow Lake. B, Young larch and li idge- pole pine coming in after fire under surviving larch, north of Holland Lake, looking east toward < lordon Pass 76 XXXII. .1. Mixed yellow pine and red fir in T. 26 X.. R. 19 W. B, Burned mountain side, South Fork of Birch Creek 78 LEWIS AND CLARKE FOREST RESERVE, MONTANA. By H. B. Aykes. BOUXD ARIES. The boundaries of this reserve, as established by Executive order of February 22, 1897, are as follows: Beginning at the point on the south boundary of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation where said boundary line is intersected by the range line between ranges eight (8) and nine (9) west principal meridian, Montana; thence southwesterly along the south boundary to the southwest corner of said reservation and northwesterly along the west boundary thereof, as defined and described in the act of Congress approved June tenth, eighteen hundred and ninety-six, entitled "An act making appropri- ations for current and contingent expenses of the Indian Department and fulfilling treaty stipulations with various Indian tribes for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and ninety-seven, and for other purposes," to the point where the unsurveyed range line between ranges twelve (12) and thirteen (13) west will inter- sect said boundary line; thence southerly along said unsurveyed range line to the point for the northeast corner of township twenty -nine (29) north, range thirteen (13) west; thence westerly along the unsurveyed township line to the point for the northwest corner of said township; thence southerly along the unsurveyed range line to the point for the southwest corner of section eighteen (18), said township; thence westerly along the unsurveyed section line to the point for the northwest corner of section nineteen (19), township twenty-nine (29) north, range fourteen (14) west; thence southerly along the unsurveyed range line to the point for the southwest corner of said township twenty-nine (29) north, range fourteen (14) west; thence westerly along the unsurveyed seventh (7th) standard parallel north to the point for the southeast corner of township twenty-nine (29) north, range seventeen (17) west; thence northerly along the unsurveyed range line to the point for the north- east corner of said township; thence westerly along the unsurveyed township line to the point for the northwest corner of section three (3), said township; thence north- erly along the unsurveyed section line to the point for the northeast corner of section four (4), township thirty (30) north, range seventeen (17) west; thence westerly along the unsurveyed township line to the point for the northwest corner of section three (3), township thirty (30) north, range nineteen (19) west; thence southerly along the unsurveyed and surveyed section line, subject to the proper offset on the seventh (7th) standard parallel north, to the southeast corner of section twenty-one (21 i. township twenty-eight (28) north, range nineteen (19) west; thence easterly along the unsurveyed section line to the point for the southeast corner of section twenty-four (24), said township; thence southerly along the unsurveyed and sur- 35 3tl FOREST KK-KK\ KS. veyed range line to the southeast comer of township twenty-seven (27 | north, range nineteen 19) west; thence easterly along the surveyed and unsurveyed township line to the point for the northwest corner of section three 3 . township twenty-sis (26) north, range eighteen (18 west; thence southerly along the unsurveyed Bection line to the point for the southwest corner of section thirty-four I 34 I, said township; thence westerly along the unsurveyed and surveyed township line to its intersection with the east shore of Flathead Lake; thence southerly along the Bhore of said lake to the north boundary of the Flathead Indian Reservation; thence easterly along the north boundary to the northeast corner of said reservation and southerly along the east boundary thereof to the point where said boundary line will be intersected by the unsurveyed fourth (4th) standard parallel north; thence easterly along said unsurveyed parallel to the point for the southeast corner of township seventeen (17) north, range seven 7 west; thence northerly along the unsurveyed range line to the point for the northeast corner of said township; thence westerly along the unsur- veyed township line to the point for the northwest corner of said township; thence northerly along the unsurveyed range line to the point for the northeast corner of township eighteen (18) north, range eight (8) west; thence westerly along the unsurveyed township line to the point for the southeast corner of township nineteen orth, range nine (9) west; thence northerly along the unsurveyed andsurveyed range line between ranges eight (8) and nine (9 west, subject to the proper offsets on the fifth (5th). sixth (6th), and seventh (7th) standard parallels north, to the point of intersection with the south boundary of the Blackfeet Indian Reservation, the place of beginning. TOPOGRAPHY. The area of the reserve is 4,572 square miles, or 2,926,000 acres. It occupies the whole breadth of the Rocky Mountains, excepting the narrow western slope of Mission Ridge, the summit of which forms the greater part of the western boundary. The Hooky Mountains hen- consist of four parallel ranges, usually sharp and distinct, the western two especially so, with long, narrow valleys between them (PI. IV. A). These valley- are drained principally by uorthward- tiowino- streams, hut the eastern range is cut across about the middle of the eastern boundary by Sun River, which drains a great portion of the next valley west of the eastern range into the Missouri River. The North Fork of Dearborn River also drains the southeastern por- tion of the reserve to the eastward. Across the whole reserve from McDonald Peak on the west to Mount Dearborn on the ea-t is a trans- verse divide, forming a watershed between the streams flowing north into the Flathead River and those flowing south into the Blackfoot River. The principal peaks of the main ranges are between 7,000 and lo. ooo feet in altitude, while the main valleys are between 3,000 and 5.000 feet. The reserve is naturally divided by the mountains into four large areas: First, the portion which is drained eastward, having an area of about l.iioo square miles; second, that drained northward by the Middle Fork of Flathead River, having an area of about .">7»i square miles; third, the lone- valley of the South Fork of Flathead River, which is continuous with the valley of the North Fork of Blackfoot River, the two having- an area id' about 1,860 square miles; fourth. M SURVCV ANNUAL REPORT PART V A. VIEW ALONG SUMMIT OF EASTERN . . ayres.] LEWIS AND CLARKE RESERVE, MONTANA. 37 the Swan-Clearwater Valley, more regular in outline and with broader bottom and lower altitude, having an area within the reserve of about 728 square miles. The valley of Swan River is continuous with that of the Clearwater, being separated only by a low morainic divide. BOCK. Limestone is of extensive occurrence, nearly all the summits, both of the peaks and ridges, being composed of it. Much of it is fossilifer- ous (Pis. IV . II. and V. .1). Most of it is said to be of good quality for building stone. Interbedded quartzites are occasionally seen, and green schistose rocks are found in the canyons. One especially good exposure of schist is in the lower canyon of the North Fork of Teton Creek. Igneous rock, bearing traces of copper, occurs on Upper Smith (reck, southwest of Augusta, and extends southwestward. A dark igneous rock is also found extending northward from the warm springs on Sun River. Black shale is abundant in the valley of the North Fork of Sun River. A bright-red arenaceous shale extends from near the warm springs southward to the headwaters of Ford Creek. Cretaceous rocks form the eastern foothills. Tertiary coal-bearing rocks are found in the lower portion of the valley of the South Fork of the Flathead. Few mining prospects are found within the reserve. Those seen were on Smith Creek and in the lower portion of the valley of the South Fork of Flathead River. Quartz is nowhere abundant. Outside of the reserve, but not far from the boundary, copper claims are located on the North Fork of Blackfoot River, and on Smith Creek. below White's mill. Some other claims were staked during L898 on Summit Creek, not far above Java. Lignite coal is found on the South Fork of Flathead River, some 30 miles from its mouth. East of the Continental Divide the strata dip southwestward. and west of the divide the general dip is northeastward. soil. In general the soil is shallow. The region has been glaciated in com- paratively recent time and but a small amount of soil has accumulated. The rock of the region being principally limestone, one expects the soil derived from it to be productive where physical composition, moisture, and climate are favorable to plant growth. Travel through the region proved this to be true, for in all the well-moistened and sheltered localities having a fair depth of loam a luxuriant growth of vegetation was found. Thrifty vegetation is by no means a simple 38 FOREST RESEEVES. index of the character of the soil on which it prows, but, considering the other factors influencing the growth of plants, it is an easy means of discovering the value of the soil. In the higher regions, or those above 6,000 feet, a large proportion of the surface is entirely destitute of soil, as it has been washed down the mountain sides as fast as formed. The middle slopes vary greatly as to soil, and while in some of the basins or on the more moderate slopes there is an accumulation of loam, many strips on the mountain sides are nearly bare. Even where slopes are moderate there are many very steep and even precipitous places where nothing but rock is exposed. The valleys contain a great deal of gravel, morainal material brought down from the mountains by glaciers and worked over by water in more recent times. Clay was seen in many of the river bluffs and in terraces along the sides of the valleys. The distri- bution of clays and gravels is so irregular that it would be impracti- cable to make a satisfactory map of them. HUMTJS. Humus is generally light, varying according to the fertility of the soil and favorable climatic conditions. The eastern slope has been burned so much that there is little humus left, except in the lower foothills (PI. VI. A). The summits of the mountain ridges have, of course, very little humus, as not much vegetation grows there. The river bottoms here, in contrast with bottom lands in low countries or regions of moderate slope, have so much gravel and sand that they do not produce a rank growth of vegetation; consequently there is but little humus on them. In general, the earth is but slightly covered with humus, even the unburned woods seldom having a depth of more than 2 or 3 inches. There are exceptions, of course, in damp places along small streams, in springy places, and in the isolated sloughs. In the banks of small streams that have changed their courses several feet of black earth sometimes appear. This, however, is an alluvial deposit washed down from the hills by the streams, and is not to be considered as humus. LITTER. While varying somewhat with the fertility of the soil, the amount of litter depends greatly upon the occurrence and the intensity of tire. It is scant on all the higher land, where the soil is thin, climate severe, and vegetation restricted, but it is found on burned areas, on mountain sides, and in valleys (PI. V, B). On the burned areas shown on the accompanying map (PI. Ill) there is very little material except the trunks of trees killed by tire, but these in many cases amount to a large number. U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEV Twenty-first annual report part v pl. vl .1. BURNT MOUNTAIN SIOE NOT RESTOCKED. New vegetatmn of t'jass lupine, rose, service berry, paint weed, etc. B HANNONS RANCH AND VALLEY OF STOREHOUSE CREEK ■'■■'! *$*" '-.Vi **■ : ! :'■ ayres] LEWIS AND CLARKE RESERVE, MONTANA. 39 The forested region not visited by recent tires has a very small amount of deadwood, usually very much less than is found on the burns, but here is much more of the tine litter, such as leaves, twigs, and moss. Except for deadwood, the amount of litter is light east of the Conti- nental Divide, and heavy in the unburned portion of the valley of the Middle Fork of Flathead River, where the old forest is being slowly replaced by new. It is moderately abundant in the valley of the South Fork of Flathead River, which is patched with burns. The lower half of the Swan River Valley is in about the same condition, but the upper half has been much burned and has a dense network of fallen trees over a large part of the surface. AGRICULTURAL AND GRAZING LANDS. Excepting that angle of the reserve reaching northeastward into the plains, with Birch Creek as its northern boundary, and having an area of about 90 square miles, there is no strictly agricultural land within the reserve. In each of the main valleys some vegetables and hay could be grown, but the product could not compete successfully with that produced under more favorable conditions. While agricultural land is scarce, there are several favorable loca- tions for small ranches (PI. VI, B). These areas, excepting along the eastern foothills, are isolated and difficult of access and subject to deep snows in winter, which would make it necessary for the rancher to put up much hay. Natural hay is found in some quantity in wil- low bottoms, or sloughs, and some prairies would yield a good crop of hay under cultivation. On the North Fork of Sui^River is a prairie having an area of about 10 square miles, on which there is but little natural hay, but the land could easily be irrigated, and timothy could lie grown. South of Sun River the valleys of Beaver Creek and of the South Fork of the North Fork of Sun River have considerable areas of grass lam I. All through the foothills bordering the plains and in the nar- row valleys between the ridges south of Ear Butte are, perhaps, 100 square miles of land on which there is more or less grass, but it is rather difficult of access and undesirable for grazing on account of the deadwood killed by tires. This area, with the eastern foothills north- ward, has once been nearly all wooded, but frequent incursions of tire from the plains have reduced and even exterminated much of the forest, which has been succeeded by a mixture of grasses and weeds. In the valley of the Middle Fork of the Flathead only one area of grass land was seen, and that was a willow bottom along a stream tributary to the Big, or East Fork. This area seemed to be about a mile long and a quarter to half a mile wide. 40 I'nKKST EE8EEVES. Near the bead of Willow Creek is a large willow bottom with bunch- grass prairie on the hills bordering it. Mr. Donahue has a ranch on this bottom stocked with about 100 head of cattle. Below the mouth of Willow Creek is an area of 800 to 1,000 acres of grass land, much of which is tire made, affording excellent summer grazing. Hay could easily be grown here by irrigation. A short distance above the mouth of White River is an area of about .'loo acres of prairie. Here and there, in passing down the South Folk, small areas of grass were found on the most gravelly portions of the river bottom. In the Clearwater Valley, about the head of Clearwater Lake and about the other lakes of the chain between this lake and the summit, are meadows of sedge, or Hat grass, with small areas of upland grass. The grass and hay land in the Clearwater drainage amounts to per- haps 500 acres. Over the divide, in the Swan River Valley, on Holland Creek, are some 200 acres of natural prairie land, with fair grazing also under the adjacent scattered timber. This land is occupied as a ranch (PI. VII.. 1). About 8 or 10 miles below this ranch is a morainic region of gravel hills and ridges, with intermediate sloughs, on which there is much grass of inferior quality (PI. IX. .1). The abundance of hay may. however, offset the inferior quality of pine grass and induce someone to try ranching there.' Above the mouth of Jim Creek, on the trail to Crow Creek Pass, is a prairie of some 500 acres, part of which is irrigable and well adapted to hay. At the head of Swan Lake are about 500 acres of hay land, but there is very little grazing land in that vicinity. Numerous small areas of grass land occur elsewhere in this valley, but none of them warrant an attempt at stock raising. On the mountain ridges, approaching timber line, are many grassy basins and parks, and many ridges are scantily covered with a tine blue bunch grass {Festnca ovvrvaf). This mountain grass land is probably due to the prevalence of snow, which prevents growth of trees. The lingering snow leaves hardly more than two months of the year availa- ble for pasturage. Most of such areas are practically inaccessible for stock and are of no present use as grass land. In the entire reserve there are probably 200 square miles of grass land. U. S GEOLOGICAL SURVEY TWENTY-FI RST ANNUAL REPORT PART V PL. VIII LEWIS AND CLARK FOREST RESERVE MONTANA Showing distribution of Lyall larch .Western larch.and Patton hemlock Prepared under the direction ofHenry GanneU Geographer in charge by II. H.AYUKS Scale JULIUS Bit* a CC r I LYALL LARCH I I .a > i\ lAviliu - Sketch caiitours 1899 LEGEND I WESTERN LARCH [~ 1 i l.ari x occidentalis 1 PATTON HEMLOCK J i Tsuga patoiieana < AYKES.l LEWIS AND CLARKE RESERVE, MONTANA. 41 THE FOKEST. SPECIES. The trees growing within the reserve arc as follows: s growing within Lewisand Clarke Forest Reserve, Montana, name. mon name. General distribution. Yellow pine Swan-Clearwater Valley and Smith Fork of Flathead. Pinus monticola White pine Lower Swan River, South Fork and Middle Fork of Flathead. Lodgepole pine Ever} » here below 7,000 feel Pinus albicaulis Nut pine Wesi of Continental Dh ide above 6,000 feet. Pinus llexilis Limber pine East of ( Continental 1 >i\ ide. Engelrnann spruce. . Everyw here. Picea alba White spruce Deton Creek. Larix occidentalis Western larch West of Continental 1 >i\ ide. Larix lyallii Mountain larch Colonies on highest ranges. Pseudotsuga taxifolia. . Red fir Everj where below 7,000 feet. Allies lasiocarpa Balsam Everywhere. Silver fir Lower Swan and Flathead val- le\ s. Thuja plicata ('.Mar Do. Tsuga heterophylla Populus angustifolia 1 leuilnek Do. do Do. A.long lower streams 1 lottonwood Populus trerauloides. . . Populus balsamifera. . . V. spell Patches below 7,000 feet. Eastern foothills. Balm of » rilead DISTRIBUTION. Yellow pine i^ found throughout the valley of the South Fork of Flathead River and in the Swan and Clearwater valleys below 3,500 feet (PL IX. /!). White pine occurs in the Lower Swan River Valley, in lite lowei portion of the valley of the South Fork of Flathead River, and probably in the lower portion of the Middle Fork Valley, at elevations below l. nun feet. Lodgepole pine is gen- eral in distribution below 6,000 feet. Nut pine is found on all the highland west of the Continental Divide above 5,000 feet. Limber pine is confined to the eastern foothills below 7,000 feel (PL X. A). Engelrnann spruce is generally distributed and is found at till alti- tudes, but most abundant on the mountain Sides. White spruce, somewhat difficult to distinguish from Engelrnann spruce because of intermediate forms, oeeurs on the South Fork of Teton Creek. Larch 42 FORKST RESERVES. is tlic principal timber tree in the Swan-Clearwater Valley. It is less abundant in the valley of the South Fork of Flathead River, and its farthest appearance to the eastward is in the valley of the Middle Fork nf Flathead River. Mountain larch is found in colonies here and there on the higher mountains. An unusually tine forest (for this species) is mar Camp Creek Pass, between Sun River and Willow Creek, on the very summit of the Continental Divide. A few trees arc found also on the summit of the range ju>t north of Pend Oreille Pass, between the West Fork of the South Fork of Flathead River and the Clearwater Valley. Red fir is found throughout the reserve below 6,000 feet. Balsam, like Engelmann spruce, is found at all alti- tudes, but is most abundant between 4,000 and li.ooo feet. Silver fir appears in the lower portion of the Swan River Valley, on the South Fork of Flathead, on the Middle Fork of Flathead, and a few trees are seen near the head of the North Fork of Sun River. Cedar has the same distribution, but is confined to the damp places along streams and in the bottoms of ravines. Hemlock has the same habitat and approximately the same distribution as cedar. Mountain hemlock is found only at the summit of the pass between Swan River and Clear- water River, in a clump of small trees about 8 feet high. Cottonwood is generally distributed along the streams in the medium and lower altitudes. Aspen is found almost everywhere below (3,000 feet, except in dense forests. Balm of Gilead occurs in the eastern foothills. SIZE AND QUALITY. Yellow pine, while thoroughly abundant in the Upper Swan and Clearwater valleys, is not as large and vigorous as in the lower and more fertile lands of the Flathead Valley, where it is sometimes 6 or 7 feet on the stump and 100 feet or more high. Within the reserve it is seldom more than 3 feet in diameter and 90 feet high. It is fre- quently tire scarred and otherwise defective. White pine is seldom sound, and in addition to the common dry rot, much of it is dying. The dead trees are almost worthless for timber. Lodgepole pine, one of the hardiest trees, while seldom more than l'ii inches on the stump and 100 feet high, is usually straight, sound, and comparatively free from large knots. Nut pine, while hardly to be considered for log timber at present on account of its inaccessibility, is sometimes large enough for saw logs, and may possibly be in future local demand. Limber pine is remarkably crooked and knotty where exposed, as on the eastern foothills. On the mountain sides it is frequently found fairly straight and clear in sheltered places, reaching a diameter of about 28 inches and a height of 50 feet or more. Such good trees are exceptional. U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEV TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT PART V PL. IX A- UPPER SWAN RIVER VALLE> >: -5* -JEf. " | ■ ■pi ™ ? ■ 1^ i Z." YELLOW IRE OF PLACID LAKE. U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY TWENTY-FI3ST ANNUAL REPORT PART V A. MOUNTAIN SIDE, LOOKING EAST FROM CAMP CREEK PASS. B OPENING IN YELLOW-PINE FOREST ON JOCKO TRAIL, , MILE NORTH OF LAKE. PLACID AYRES.] LEWIS AND CLARKE RESERVE, MONTANA. 43 Engelmann spruce, besides having an even distribution, is the most useful tree. "With lodgepole pine and red fir it forms the dense forest of pole timber on the exposed but well-moistened slopes, and with balsam makes large log timber in the higher gulches. Some trees about ?A inches in diameter and 125 to 130 feet high were seen. Of white spruce, only a few small trees were surely identified. Western larch, the most abundant timber tree of the valleys, like the yellow pine, is smaller than in the Flathead and Stillwater valleys. There it is about 4 feet in diameter and 180 feet high. In this reserve it is seldom more than 30 inches in diameter, none being seen over 3 feet, and it is seldom over 125 feet high. It is more knotty, but it seems to be quite as sound as in the lower country (PI. XI. A). Red fir becomes more defective to the eastward. It reaches out on the plains somewhat, but there, except in sheltered places, it is hardly able to raise an upright stem. In the foothills it is bushy. Ascending the mountains, it is found in some basins as large as 30 inches on the stump and SO feet high, but so defective with dry rot that it makes very poor timber for the sawmill. West of the Conti- nental Divide it improves both in size and quality, but is still subject to dry rot. and many dead stubs are found in the forest without evi- dence of fire or other very plain cause of their death. The most hardy trees are on rocky mountain slopes, where the roots can reach constant water, but such trees are isolated, short, and knotty, and seldom suitable for log timber. Mountain larch, probably of no commercial importance, is found 15 inches in diameter and To feet high. Though not cut and carefully examined the trees seemed generally sound. Balsam is never a large tree, at least none were seen more than 15 inches in diameter and "<• feet in height. It is usually defective in the butt and full of small knots. ('eilar is found 3 feet in diameter and 80 feet high, but this size is unusual. The tree was nowhere abundant, yet small areas of it occur, and it may lie of some commercial value for poles, posts, or shingles. Aspen is not notably different here from the aspen of other regions. It is occasionally large enough for log timber, but is seldom over lu inches in diameter and 60 feet high. Where much exposed it is reduced to mere brush. The other trees, silver fir, hemlock, cottonwood, and balm of Gilead, are small and so isolated as to be of no commercial importance. 44 FOREST RESERVES. ESTIMATES. Any attempt to estimate 4. sun square miles of very irregularly patched and broken forest in four months must have a somewhat Unsatisfactory result. While the closes! estimates are expected to come within In per cent of the actual amount, these can only lie hoped to lie within 50 per cent, but they are all believed to !"■ less than the actual amount. These estimates are made on the basis of practice in the Lake State-. viz, estimating as loo- timber every stick that will make a log 12 feel lone-. 6 inches in diameter at small end. and scaling two-thirds of a full scale. In making the estimate it was of course necessary to pass many square miles by with only a cursory view from a mountain or hilltop. Small representative areas were examined in detail, and on these the general estimate was based. These estimates are as follows: Eslimalt of timber in Lewis and Clarke Forest Heserve, Montana, by 'm "■>. Locality. i 11. M. i ords Eastern slope Middle Fork of Flathead Smith Fork of Flathead 63,000,000 1.54,000,000 442, 360, 000 1,985,000,000 2,644,360, 1,579,000 l . 51 10, 000 i, 311, 000 t,660, 12,869,000 Total Estimate of timber in Lewisand Clarke Forest Heserve, Montana, by species. Feet. Larch 1, 265, 444, 000 White pine - 26, 547. 200 Yellow pine 235, 388, si (0 Red Br - 647, 691 1, coo Spruce 35t '. I 122, I Lodgepole pine - 118,668.000 YOUNG GROWTH. On the areas shown as recently burned the young growth is quite small and has been described under the head of reproduction. On the older burns it is common to find a dense stock of saplings; but these. as a rule, are principally lodgepole pine, especially on the slopes east of the Continental Divide. Engelmann spruce and red fir have made their appearance on some of these old burns, but rather subordinate to lodgepole pine. In rapidity of growth they arc inferior, and in numbers they constitute but a small proportion of the new forest. mm®***?- k ^Jft.#fc*f»*fc •*>-». **-•: 15 '. ■'wrK??*T55^™ . , it. ;£, „;- iririfflM $~* : .... ^H*a*g£^3M ' *£-, -V. _ Ii |M^^^ ^ < RhE^VSH y>. v^NJitta I fk#n r^Kr^S '■"* ■XJ^H UNMMHilfcSk^ttfcffH Ilk • ■ • ■ U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT PART V PL. XII mgm St^-^ t * t : -*v» j ■*■ ". ~^^^#( &&3 w ^^HbHI W /r^*-^\ & j^Mm A MILL ON SMITH CREEK, SOUTHWEST OF HAYSTACK BUTTE. Ji DEADWOOD PARTLY CUT, SOUTH FORK OF TETON CREEK ayees.] LEWIS AND CLARKE RESERVE, MONTANA. 45 On the tracts that have been unburned for many years seedlings have sprung up as the old trees have died and fallen, so that these old forests are. composed of trees of all ages, and in them the saplings too small for log timber constitute a very important factor to be considered in forest management. In many cases the mature trees may be cut out for lumber and the saplings left will be a sufficient stock, partly grown, for a new harvest of logs. By carefully marking the trees to be cut and by using care to preserve this young stock, the continuity of the forest may be unbroken by logging operations. In this old forest the young growth is apt to have a large propor- tion of spruce and a small proportion of lodgepole pine, as the shade of the old trees is favorable to the starting of spruce, but unfavorable to the pine. Next in proportion to spruce, red fir is common, and in the more open places balsam follows next in order, while larch and lodgepole pine choose the spots that are most free from underbrush and grasses. Yellow pine seems to come in only on lands that have bare earth. The areas having old mixed forests with a fair stock of young growth are very few on the eastern slope, except in some of the smaller valleys near the Continental Divide. Such areas occur on the headwaters of the Middle Fork and on the western tributaries of the North Fork of Sun River; also on the Middle Fork and on the lower half of the South Fork of Flathead River. The lower portion of the Swan River Valley, although considerably scarred by tires, has much of such forest still remaining, especially in the tributary gulches. The upper portions of these valleys have been overrun by moderate fires that have thinned the forest, and while most of the land is restocked, the seedlings are seldom over 10 feet high. UNDERBRUSH. The principal species of brush are alder, willow, dogwood, buck- brush, waxbush, yew, squawberry, service berry, brittlebrush, and juniper. Beside these shrubs, some of the trees often grow in such a manner as to practically form an underbrush in the forest, especially after a light tire that has not seriously thinned the forest, yet has permitted seedlings to start. In general, the underbrush is not dense. With the exception of some of the damper ravines where yew abounds, the brush would offer no serious difficulty to taking horses anywhere, unless through the aspen thickets on the eastern slope (see PI. XI, B). Brush is most abundant, perhaps, in the valley of the Middle Fork and in the lower portion of the valley of the South Fork of Flathead River and in the lower portion of the Swan River Valley. In the higher altitudes, especially where exposed, balsam and spruce, and east of the Continental Divide limber pine, are frequently matted 46 FOREST RESERVES. close to the ground, forming dense 1 n it small impenetrable thickets, although thej arc tree species. Except where kept in subjection by lie-lit fires brush is usually abundant enough to be a serious hindrance to logging operations and to prevent the ready starting of seedlings. CUTTING. There arc three small .sawmills within the reserve, one on the South Fork of Depuyer Creek, another on the South Fork of Teton Creek, and a third on Smith Creek, southwest of Haystack Butte (PI. XII. .1). The logs for these mills are taken from the mountain sides or the basins above them. For the mill first mentioned the logs are twitched down the mountain side to the stream, then floated with great difficulty about '2 miles through the canyon to the mill at its mouth. Some 300,000 feet B. M. have been cut in the valley of the South Fork of Depuyer Creek. This timber was spruce, red fir. and lodgepole pine. The second mill is near the head of the South Fork of Teton Creek, about f> miles from the plains. The logs are being taken from the mountain side near the mill aud are almost entirely spruce and lodge- pole, pine. On the forks of Teton Creek are several old mill sites, and. roughly estimated, a million feet B. M. have been cut on the South Fork and tioo.ooo feet on the North Fork. The mill on Smith Creek, but a short distance within the reserve line, is cutting logs from the high mountain side south of the head- waters of the stream. The logs are dragged with much difficulty and some danger about 2 miles down the steep slope. The timber used is lodgepole pine and spruce. There is little red fir in the basin. About a million feet B. M. of all kinds have been cut in this valley. Besides the log timber cut east of the divide, some 300,000 railroad ties have been cut and floated down to the Helena branch of the Great Northern Railway. Some 200,000 of these were cut on the North Fork of Sun River and approximately 100,000 on Dearborn Creek. All along the eastern front of the mountains the people from the treeless plains get fuel, house logs, and poles for fences and corrals. Almost every little valley that is wooded and that is reasonably accessible has a well-used wagon road leading into the timber. The people come and cut the timber as they need it, loading it immedi- ately upon their wagons without leaving any amount cut and lying upon the ground, even over night. Ranchmen, as a rule, bring their own teams, but for village supplies there are half-breeds living among the foothills who make a business of taking out the wood and selling it. A colony of these woodcutters was found on the South Fork of Teton Creek (see PI. XVIII, B), another on Smith Creek, and another on Dearborn, near the mouth of Falls Creek. Altogether about 62,000 ayres.] LEWIS AND CLARKE RESERVE, MONTANA. 47 cords of fuel, house logs, and fencing have been cut on the eastern slope of the mountains. Along the Great Northern Railway there has been a great deal of cutting for bridge timber and ties, and besides some material has been taken for fuel, cribbing, tunnel timber, wagon bridges, and corduroys. The construction camps also have taken a large amount. On account of lack of time no attempt has been made to estimate the amount of this material. It is said that all or nearly all the bridge and tie timber used in the construction of the railway through the mountains from Columbia Falls to Midvale was taken from the woods along the line. Elsewhere on the reserve the only cutting has been for the cabins of prospectors, hunters, and trappers, and the few squatters in the Swan-Clearwater Valley, and for trails or camp use. The logging operations of the Blackfoot Milling Company, on the Clearwater drainage, have worked up to but have not cut over the south line of the reserve. The logs are floated down Blackfoot River (see Pis. XIII. .1. and XV, A). FIRES. Extent. — Only the areas recently burned, or those overrun by fire within the last forty years, have been shown on the map. The older ones have lost the characteristics and the features of burns that make them noticeable in the distant view necessary in mapping them. They have either become barrens or have been restocked with trees. A considerable but undeterminable portion of the mountain ridges shown On the map (PI. Ill) as bare or destitute of forest has been made so by fires that have exterminated the stunted forests which were just able to exist under the severity of climate without the fire. Many of the eastern foothills now grassed prove, upon close exami- nation to have been once wooded; for here and there upon them old charred roots and stumps are found. The fire lines on the map can be drawn only approximately, for the effects of fire often fade out with an impreceptible border. Roughly estimated, the recently and severely burned areas within the reserve are as follows: Areas recently burned in Lewis and Clarke Forest Reserve, Montana. Square miles. East of tin- Continental Divide 600 Middle Fork . if Flathead River or, South Fork of Flathead River and the Blackfoot drainage 485 Swan-Clearwater Valley 240 Total 1, 420 48 FOREST RESERVES. Iii addition there are, as shown on the map (Ji. Ill), outside the reserve the following burned areas: Areas recently burned adjacent to Lewis and Clarke Forest Reserve, Montana. n miles. Along the ( treat Northern Railway. 134 East of the reserve line 40 Smith of the reserve line 206 T. .tal 3S0 This, added to the 1,400 square miles within the reserve, makes a total of 1,800 square miles of recently burned forest shown on the map. < 'auses of fire. — While some of these fires have no doubt been caused by lightning, nearly all have been due to carelessness on the part of men. The causes of fire may be grouped into four classes: First, those originating directly or indirectly from the railroad: second, those running in from the prairie: third, those escaping from settlers on the borders of the forest: fourth, those caused by Indians, hunters, and prospectors. The greater area, probably some 1,200 square miles, was burned during 1889. That year is said to have been exceptionally dry, and the smoke from the forest fires almost unendurable. At that time the Great Northern Railway was being built across the mountains, and the great number of men employed in its construction, and the many pros- pectors and claim hunters attracted by the opening of the country, made a combination of circumstances very favorable to the starting of tires. About forty years ago, also, many fires occurred. Most of the burns of that time have been reburned since. Where not repeated, they have either been covered again by forest or they have become mountain barrens. ////- nsity of fires. — On most of the burns mapped the fires have been severe enough to kill all, or nearly all. the trees and to consume the humus (see Pis. XIII. B. and XV, B). The borders of the bums are generally sharp and well marked. But many light tires have also occurred; these have crept over extensive areas, killing brush and the smaller and tenderer trees. The fires have varied through all degrees of intensity. The severest have rushed through the tree tops consuming the needles and smaller twigs and igniting the humus lying upon the surface, which, even when burning slowly, has made tire enough to consume the smaller roots that were in the humus. The fires of lss'.t were generally of this sort. Many other fires have occurred, doing much less damage to the forest. Creeping slowly along, they have killed much of the vegeta- tion and even some large trees, but the lightest of them have merely thinned the forest, injuring many trees, hut still leaving many seed trees and a favorable surface for seeds to start. U. S GEOLOGICAL SURVEY TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT PARTY PLXIV LEWIS AND CLARK FOREST RESERVE MONTANA Showing riisi rii >u I ion of cedar, hemlock .white pine and silver fir Prepared under the direction of Henry Ganneu Geographei in charge ■ HI II .11 A1 KES Scale 20 25 30 Miles Sketch contours 189 ayres] LEWIS AND CLARKE RESERVE, MONTANA. 4«) Damafft by fires. — The damage done by tires might by some be esti- mated as nothing- because the timber hud no market value at the time, but by the community and the State it should be viewed as an injury to a great natural resource. While the timber trees, the saplings, and the .seedlings killed had no immediate market value where they stood, they had a future value which has been destroyed. In addition, the tires have postponed the possibility of again having such a forest on much of this land within one hundred years, and on some of it a very much longer time, for the fires have consumed the product of centuries in humus, shade, shelter, and other necessaries for the germination and growth of seedlings. These higher regions are now frequently found barren, or lightly covered with grass or mountain plants, with a few roots and stubs remaining as proof that a forest was once there. 1), ail iron,!. — The amount of material standing dead is roughly esti- mated as follows: Deadwood standing <» Lewis and Clarh Forest Reserve, Montana. Cords. Missouri River drainage ■>, |Q qqo Middle Fork of Flathead River, within the reserve lot)' 000 Middle Fork of Flathead River, outside the reserve 150 000 South Fork of Flathead River 600 000 Sw an-Clearwater Valley, within the reserve 128 000 Total - 1.17S, 000 No effort was made to estimate the material that is down. It is not marketable and never can be until made accessible immediately after falling, as where logging and woodcutting are being carried on. Reproduction.— The burned areas east of the Continental Divide, and those of the valley of the Middle Fork of Flathead River are very scantily restocked, having little else than small lodgepole pine in strips and groups, usually near the unburned forest. In the valley of Willow Creek (South Fork drainage) there is a dense stock of lodgepole pine coming up through the network of fallen trees. The same condition prevails in the region about Spotted Bear, while on Hungry Horse the old burn has a very scant stock. In the valley of Swan River the "Big burn," about •', miles below Hol- land's ranch, has enough lodgepole. pine to cover it in about twenty years. The burn on Crow Creek Pass is principally occupied by brush, but has a sprinkling of spruce, lodgepole pine, and balsam. The large burn on the mountain west of Swan Lake lias a scanty slock of spruce, balsam, and lodgepole pine. The upper portion of Swan River Valley has a dense stock of lodge- pole pine and larch under the larger larch that has survived several incursions of moderate fires. 21 GEOL, PT 5 4 5(1 FOREST RESERVES. The burns <>n other mountain ridges, so far as stocked at all, have :i mere sprinkling of nut pine, Engelmann spruce, and balsam. The >tock on lightly burned regions, as a rule, is not only mixed as to species, but also as to size. There are some areas on old burns which are occupied by lodgepole pine only, hut these are the exception and are not large. Liability to fire. — l T ntil the appointment of forest rangers there had been no steps to prevent the starting or the spread of tires except the, carefulness of those likely to cause them. During the season of 1899, however, no fires were found burning, though several had been extin- guished by the forest rangers, who patrolled the trails and kept them- selves posted as to the movements of persons within the reserve. Along- the railroad the greatest danger of fires is from locomotive sparks, though they are liable also to be started by trackmen burning rubbish. East of the mountains the danger is from fires sweeping in over the prairie or from the lunch fires and smudges of the wood- cutters who come from the plains. In all the mountain area the camp fires of prospectors, trappers, tourists, and sportsmen are a constant menace. Effect of fin <■/> v<>iiij>i< of forest. — The severe fires below 6,000 feet have been followed by lodgepole pine where restocked at all (see PI. XVI. A), but the moderate fires in the lower altitudes and all those in the higher altitudes have usually been followed by a mixed growth in which spruce predominates. Many of the severe old burns that have been restocked have first been covered with lodgepole pine, under which spruce, white pine, larch, balsam, and other shade-enduring trees have sometimes started. A very dense stand of the original stock, however, does not readily admit other species, and lodgepole pine in such cases is apt to remain until the trees begin to die of old age (see PI. XVII, .1). Moderate fires may thin out the species most sensitive to fire and leave those protected by thick bark. A notable instance of this was found in the upper portion of the Swan River Valley, where a mixed stock of larch and lodgepole pine had been run through by light tires, which killed the thin-barked lodgepole pine, but left the thick-barked larch but slightly injured. On looking over this valley from the mountain side in October, when the leaves were colored, the upper half of the valley seemed almost entirely wooded with larch. RATE OF GROWTH. The rate of growth varies greatly not onh T according to soil and moisture, but also according to exposure and the influences of sur- rounding vegetation. The average increase on the stump in the low- land was found to be about an inch in ten years, accompanied by a proportionate growth in height. U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT PART V PL. XV .t. DAM ACROSS OUTLET OF PLACID LAKE. B NUT PINE iPINUSALBICAULIS) KILLED BY FIRE, SOUTH END OF WHITE RIDGE, NEAR MIDDLE FORK OF SUN RIVER H ° O V o CO UJ ° O a. avrks] LEWIS AND CLAKKE RESERVE, MONTANA. 51 Ascending the mountains, the rate diminishes until, near the line of perpetual snow, the annual rings are sometimes so thin as to be invis- ible to the naked eye. Height growth is especially slow in exposed situations, where even the hardiest species, as spruce and balsam, are compelled to lie matted on the ground without being able to form an upright trunk. The rate of accretion on the stump of open-grown trees in the lowland is sometimes one-fourth of an inch in one \ear. while densely crowded trees, especially those overtopped, may have only one-hundredth of an inch in one year. The rate varies with the species also, larch being one of the most rapid-growing trees and lodgepole pine one of the slowest. The average rate seems less than in the forests of the Lake States. Here a crop of timber trees can hardly be expected in less than one hundred years, even on the most favorable portion of the lowdands. ACCESSIBILITY. Along the eastern slope of the mountains there are few streams that are practically drivable for log timber, possibly only Sun River and Dearborn Creek, but Birch and Badger creeks may prove drivable with some expense. The timber on most of the streams must be hauled out when cut. The question of transportation, however, will probably be how to reach the local market, as the treeless plains immediately east of the mountains could consume all the timber this slope would produce, with the exception of the Sun River Valley. This stream being easily drivable would afford fair transportation to the more dis- tant or general market. The valley of the Middle Fork of Flathead River has its only outlet by the way of Java, on the Great Northern Railway , and the river would afford the most feasible means of transportation, as it would be drivable at moderate expense. Should a permanent system of lumbering be established in this valley an electric railroad would perhaps be desirable to take supplies up the river, and possibly even to haul up empty cars on which logs could be taken down, perhaps in successful competition to river driving. The valley of the South Fork of Flathead has also an outlet to the north, and the river may possibly be made drivable. although there is some doubt on this point, owing to the crookedness of several box canyons. It would be somewhat difficult to construct a railroad in this valley, because of many deep ravines cutting through the bench land. The valley of the headwaters of the North Fork of Blackfoot River, continuous with this valley and separated from it by an almost imper- ceptible divide, has so little timber that the question of transportation need not be considered immediately. The valley of Willow Creek and the headwaters of the North Fork of the Blackfoot have a very smooth bottom and railroad grading would be very easy. The tributary valleys of the South Fork of the Flathead are more 52 FOREST RESKKYl -. difficult of access, and it seems probable that chutes and flumes may l>e the best means of getting the material out to the main valley. The Swan-Clearwater Valley, at least between Clearwater Lake and Goat ('reek, can probably be worked best by a logging railroad, as the si reams have many gravel bars and many places where logs would float out into the brush during high water. Logs put into Swan Lake could be easily driven to Flathead Lake, a favorable point lor manufacturing. The divide between the Swan and the Clearwater valleys is a low one. and offers no serious obstruction to a railroad if it should he found desirable to take logs over from Swan River to the Blackfoot. Throughout the reserve are large areas on the mountain sides that can be logged only by means of chutes. MARKETS. At the small mills east of the mountains rough sawed lumber brings $16 per thousand feet, and the deadwood is worth 25 cents a cord on the stump at Midvale, and would, doubtless, command that price all along the range southward. Log timber east of the range should be worth $1 per thousand feet on the stump in the more accessible regions, but quite a large proportion of it, possibly 50 per cent, has no value, because of difficulty of access. West of the Continental Divide probably nothing within the reserve has a market value to-day, owing to the difficulty of transportation. Improvements to make the timber accessible would doubtless be profit- able at once in the Swan River Valley, and capitalists able to make these improvements could probably afford to pay a moderate stumpage value on the standing timber. Outside of the reserve, along the Great Northern Railway, the mountain slopes, though steep and rocky, are fairly accessible, and the material on them should have a slight stumpage value under a thorough system of cutting and marketing. SUGGESTIONS FOR MANAGEMENT. Considering the configuration of the land, the isolation of the val- leys, the liability of fire, the difficulty of two or more operators work- ing in the same valley, the benefit to the operator of having control of a definite area and also of the means of transportation leading to it, and the advantage of having one person responsible for fires or depre- dations in a single district, it seems advisable that the right to cut in each valley be leased entirely to one person, and that tin 1 lease be made for a long time. This person could then improve the stream, make flumes or roads, establish a permanent mill plant, and carry on his business in conformity with a system of forestry that should, of course, be decided upon before the lease is made. Under such a sys- tem of leases there would be an opportunity both for small and large operators. U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY TWENTY-FHST ANNUAL RFPORT PART V PL. XVII A, EFFECT OF REPEATED FIRES. ]',. EAST SHORE OF SWAN LAKE, NEAR BOND'S. ayres] LEWIS AND CLARKE RESERVE, MONTANA. 53 The small valleys east of the Continental Divide would be suited to those only who run small mills and who would sell their sawed lumber at the mill to people from the plains, and who would handle fuel and fence poles as well as log timber. The timber west of the divide must seek a more distant market, as there is not now. and probably never will be, any great local demand. The management of these lands should conform to the necessity of such operators as could manage them. REGULATIONS SUGGESTED FOR CUTTING. A mere restriction or limitation to certain sizes, such as permitting only trees over 12 inches in diameter to be cut, while perhaps a con- venient rule for loggers to work by, would be very injurious to the forest. In fact, a forest could hardly be in worse condition than this rule would bring about. The forest needs thinning, but this regula- tion would not accomplish that object. As the forest stands now there are patches of large trees and patches of small. Under this rule the tracts of large trees might be cut clean, while the patches of small would be left untouched, however much they might be in need of thinning. This is found to be the effect under the present system, and such a rule would not make any material change in the custom. The thing to be done is to provide a market for both large and small material and have the trees to be cut marked, so that while getting out marketable material the condition of the forest may also be improved, and after logging is over be left in as good or even better growing condition than it was before. MINIX and the other and lesser fires, both prior and later, are few and excepting along Badger Creek. Birch Creek, the South Fork of Depuyer Creek, the North Fork of Teton Creek, the South Fork of Deep Creek, and portions of the valleys of Smith Creek and Dear- born Creek the areas are so small and so remote and inaccessible as to make the timber on them of no commercial value. The amount of timber, regardless of accessibility, is roughly estimated on the basis of present usage in the northern middle States as follows: Estimate of timber in Missouri River drainage in Lewis ami < larh Fort si /.'. a rvi . Montana. Badger ( reek Birch Creek North Fork of Depuyer Creek South Fork of Depuyer Creek. North Fork of Teton Creek ... South Fork of Teton Creek ... South Fork of Deep Creek North Fork of Sun River Middle Fork of Sun River North Fork of Ford Creek Smith Creek Dearborn Creek Additional small areas !.->>.' timber. Green small wood. M/eet i:. itf. lo.iirm 1,200 2,000 2, 000 500 3,000 20, 000 20, 000 300 2,000 2,000 Total . 63, 000 Cords. 300, 000 26, 3,000 24, 000 70, 000 5,000 20, 000 550, 000 430, 000 6,000 25, 000 120.000 660, 000 2, 239, 000 U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT PART V PL. XXI A. MILL ON SOUTH FORK OF TETON CREEK. B. LOOKING Uf ayres] LEWIS AND CLARKE RESERVE, MONTANA. 59 The additional small areas mentioned are scattered along the eastern front of the mountains. They are small tracts that have escaped tire. The wood on them is short and knotty — fit only for fuel. There are also on these slopes and on the foothills, fairly accessible from bhe plains, some 200,000 cords of deadwood of inferior quality, most of it killed by the lire of 1889. The species composing this material are in order of predominance: Lodgepole pine, Engelmann spruce, Douglas spruce, and limber pine. Engelmann spruce is the favorite log timber among the sawmill men. The wood of this species is white and tough. Though knotty, there are few black knots. In size some of the largest trees are 30 inches in diameter, and sometimes contain 500 feet of lumber. Douglas spruce or red fir is usually small and very defective. Trees appearing sound on the outside often open with soft red, rotten spots in the heart or near the branches. The largest are about 30 inches in diameter. Lodgepole pine is most generally distributed, and is mostly sound. While it is ignored and even considered a nuisance by some, its value will before long be appreciated. Farther west, where there is a moister climate and where larger and more sought timber can thrive, there may be some valid objections to its habit of densely occupying the ground immediately after a tire. Here it only occupies land on which other species do not thrive and produces lumber where no other species would. It reaches a diameter of 21 inches and a height of 70 to 80 feet, and is more frequently clear than any other timber. Logs as small as 5 inches at the top are sawed, and the lumber is sold (rough) for $15 per thousand, the same price as spruce and red fir, but it is sold under the name of "white pine." Limber pine {Pinus flexilis) is usually so crooked and knotty as to be worthless for log timber and for the same reason is of little value for fuel. Nut pine {Pinus albicaulis), while common in the higher altitudes of this region, is of no commercial value at present because of its inac- cessibility. It is frequently found growing tall and straight. 8 to 10 inches in diameter and 00 feet high. It is easily distinguished from other white pines by its purple cones. Cottonwood is found all along the lower streams, but seldom as log timber. Aspen is usually associated with lodgepole pine and often succeeds limber pine on the burns. Balsam is common only at high altitudes and is commercially unim- portant for timber. All species vary greatly according to exposure and moisture. Those that venture on the higher summits, which are both dry and exposed, form only mats upon the ground, while the same species in well-watered localities sheltered from the wind make large trees. 60 FOREST RKSERVES. On the slope- a graduated difference is noticeable, according to the soil, moisture, and exposure. On the south side of Depuyer Creek where timber was being cut at an altitude of aboul 7,000 feet, Engel- niaiin spruce, lodgepole pine, and Douglas spruce, on moist soil,average 150 to 500 feel per tree, but on the drier ground very few trees were large enough for log timber, and many of these were defective. In looking over the mountain side in this basin many small, brown areas of deadwood appeared in the green forest. These were first supposed to be the effect of fire, but examination proved them unburned, but on dry ground where no moist earth could bo found near the surface. Young growth. — Throughout the portion of this region facing the plains, an area of 600 square miles, tracts of young growth in good condition are rare. Where fires have run they have been so severe that over large areas no seed trees and no seeds have been left. In fact, on most of these burns the humus has been consumed. The few burns that have been restocked are about the basins at medium eleva- tions where tires have been less severe, owing to greater moisture. Such restocking is best near the unburned tracts. In moving south- ward from the Great Northern Railway, a scant restocking was found on the Two Medicine drainage covering probably 4,000 acres south of the railway. South of that area the following small tracts of a few aires were seen: On Little Badger Creek (south of the stream), about 1,500 acres: about the head of Big Badger, some 5,000 acres; on the South Fork of Depuyer Creek, 500 acres; on Storehouse Creek, some 2,000 acres; on Beaver Creek, probably 3,200 acres; on Ford Creek, some 500 acres; on Elk Creek, 1,200 acres; on Dearborn Creek. :;.ihmi acres; on Falls Creek, 2,000 acres; a total, roughly approximated, of 37,000 acres. Underbrush. —Underbrush is scant throughout this region. Only on the dampest ground is there enough to cause serious resistance to travel. The prevailing species on the northern slopes are brittlebrush and huckleberry, while along the streams are clumps and narrow strips of dogwood and willow. In the higher altitudes much of the brush consists of species that under favorable conditions form trees. Such are balsam, limber pine, and Engelmann spruce. In the higher ravines near the Continental Divide, especially under Engelmann spruce, brush is often found so thick as to be a serious hindrance to travel, but unless accompanied by fallen timber it does not form an impassal >le barrier. Fires. — Outside of the reserve about 4 ."> square miles along the Great Northern Railway and 95 square miles in the foothills bordering the plains have been very seriously burned. Of the 1,000 square miles within the reserve nearly GOO have been seriously burned within the past 40 years. Besides this severely burned area there are many lightly burned areas that now have some U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT PART V PL. XXII A. VALLEY OF NORTH FORK OF SUN RIVER. LOOKING SOUTHWARD TOWARD JUNCTION OF NORTH AND MIDDLE FORKS. B. HEAD OF MIDDLE FORK OF FLATHEAD RiVER. ayres.] LEWIS AND CLARKE RESERVE, MONTANA. 61 dead trees killed by fire, but arc principally wooded. There are also many areas of old burns that have been restocked. The areas shown as burned have been severely burned. The fire of 1889, which seems to have run over most of this area, occurred during a very dry time, and most of the ground over which it ran has only dead trees and a \ cry small amount of humus left. Within this area this fire covered about 530 square miles, most of which is now bristling with dead trees, except in places previously burned. On such places nearly all the material has been consumed. A previous lire covered an undetermined area, the signs of it being- on much of the ground, obliterated by later fires. On some 50 square miles, principally along the Continental Divide, plain evidence of the fires of this period remain. The dead trees and stubs left by these fires are better preserved in the high altitudes than in the valleys, as, being more isolated, they have partially escaped the later fires, which, on the foothills bordering the plains, have obliterated nearly all traces of the forest they have destroyed. Only occasional stubs and roots remain in the grass or brush. The dates given on the maps arc those of the later fires. Reproduction. — The area restocked is about (i per cent of the area burned over. Almost invariably the restocking has been with the same species that occupied the ground before. There is, however, a notice- able increase in the proportion of lodgepole pine, doubtless owing to the more abundant seeding of this species and the favorable condition for its growth after fires. Where spruce and balsam lands have been burned over the new stock is invariably sparse. That this is the usual habit of these species in restocking is inferred from the condition of all of the old forests composed of them. Such forests do not have trees of uniform age, but always have young trees coming in among the sparse old stock. Reasons for this condition are found both in tin 1 scant seeding of these species in the higher altitudes where they grow and in their preference for shade in which to germinate and grow while young. Old forests of lodgepole pine frequently have young spruce and balsam as an undergrowth. The extensive, almost continuous burns on the foothills once partially covered with limber pine {Pirvus flexilis) have not been restocked and so far as covered with vegetation have only weeds and brush if recent, or bear grass and scant forage plants if old. The principal bushes are willow and aspen. Young trees of limber pine are found on the half barren knolls that reach out into the plains and on the recently and severely burned lands. The con- dition of the burned land is most desolate. Only about (5 per cent of it is restocked and the remainder bristling with deadwood. standing or fallen, sometimes has no plants growing upon it, especially if high in altitude or dry. Most of the area, during the years that have passed since the tires, has grown only a scanty stock of weeds, grasses, or brush. The best pasture grasses are seldom found on the burns. Pine 62 FOREST RESERVES. grass and "bear grass" (never eaten by stock) are more prevalent on such lands than the bunch grasses, but some grazing land is now found on the once wooded portions of the foothills. Although some ten years have passed since the principal tire, only about half the burned area is now covered with vegetation, and that is of very much less economic value than the original stock. ./';//' ctqfburnson watt rfiow.- In the valleys orbasinsmost thoroughly burned over the widening- of the streams and the increased washing- down of bowlders is quite noticeable. The valleys of Dearborn River, Ford Creek, and the forks of Teton Creek are much washed, the wide gravel and bowlder beds of the water courses being a prominent fea- ture of the landscape (see PI. XX, B). I>, ,kI, mod. — Wherever severe fires have recently run through the forests deadwood is standing. Even some of that killed by lire forty years ago remains standing, but only on the higher and drier portions where the climate is more favorable to the preservation of deadwood. Very little of such old material is suitable even for fuel and under the estimates only that killed within the past ten years which is standing and is suitable for fuel, fencing, or house logs is considered. None of the old deadwood is marketable as log timber. The estimate of the amount more recently killed is necessarily very rough and only approximate as follows: Estimate of deiuhroinl ',,, nillci/n cast <>f < 'ontinental Divide, Lewis mi, I Clarke Forest Reserve, Montana. I Ml,!- Two Medicine Creek 100, 000 Little Badger Creek 500 BadgerCreek ' 500 Birch Creek 30, 000 North Fork of Depuyer Creek . 10, 000 Black Leaf ( Ireek 5, 000 Other valleys, southward 10, 000 North Fork of Teton Creek 10,000 South Fork of Teton Creek 12, 000 Other valleys, southward 6,000 Deep Creek 3, 000 Total . . . 51 14, 000 Some 20 per cent of this may have a stumpage value of about l'."> cents a cord. The remainder is probably worthless, because of diffi- culty of access. C,itt!inj. — All that portion of this region fairly accessible from the plains has been invaded by ranchmen and by others cutting for village use. Wagon roads were found leading from the plains up almost every stream, and over these wood and poles, when needed, are hauled in small loads. Often the material can be taken out only with great difficulty. It is often cut high on the mountain slopes and slid down to the roads. In some places it is hauled a long distance from the stump to the wagon, where it is loaded, frequently 40 miles from where Cords. Other valleys, south-ward to Beaver Creek s, 000 BeaverCreek 5, 000 Ford Creek 2, 000 Smith Creek 1, 000 Elk Creek 1, 000 Dearborn Creek 80, 000 Falls Creek 20,000 Sun River 200, 000 LEWJS AND CLARKE RESERVE, MONTANA. 63 it is to be used. Several small sawmills have been operated, and three were found running. On the South Fork of Depuyer (-'reek up to July IT some l.iiiin trees, scalingabout 300,000 feet, had been cut in the basins and floated through the canyon to its mouth, where they were sawed and sold rough for $16 per thousand. On the South Fork of Teton Creek is a mill about 6 miles from the plains (see Pis. XIX. B, and XXI. .1). In this valley about 1,000,000 feet of lumber and 6,000 cords of wood and poles have been cut. On Smith Creek a mill has been operated some years, and from this valley about 1,000,000 feet of lumber have been taken, most of it lodgepole pine and spruce (see PI. XII. A). It is not far from the unsurveyed reserve line, but there is little doubt it lies within the boundaries. On Dearborn Creek some- thing over 100,000 ties were cut and floated to the Helena branch of the Great Northern Railway when that line was being built. In the valley of Falls Creek, a branch of the Dearborn, large quantities of poles and fuel have been cut. August 2 a party of half-breed Indians was found cutting 10 to 20 loads a day and hauling them to market on the plains. Owing to the desultory manner of such cutting, accurate estimates of the amount cut are impossible without much time and labor. Approximately the following amounts of both green and dry mate- rial have been cut within the reserve: Estimates of cutting i ast of < 'ontinental Divide, J,' wis r. Ties. North < if Badger ( 'reek 2, 000 2,000 2,000 .-,.1)110 Badger Creek Birch Creek Birch to Teton Creek South Fork of Depuyer Creek 300 1,000 600 North Fork of Teton Creek 6,000 5,000 22, 000 25, 000 10, 000 South Fork of Teton Creek Teton to Sun River North Fork Sun River Sun River to Smith Creek 200,000 Smith Creek 1,000 Dearborn River 150, 000 Falls Creek Total 3,000 82, 000 2, !« 10 350, 000 Transportation. — The point on this land nearest the railroad is about 5 miles distant and the farthest is about 80. The streams, with the exception of Sun River, are of little value for transportation, as they 6 1 F0BE8T RESERVES. arc rapid and rough and the diversity of their directions and the small amount of timber to be marketed from each would hardly warrant their improvement for log driving, although the water could often be used to advantage in bringing material from the mountain basins to the mouths of the canyons on the border of the plains, the most favor- able situation for mills. Demand. —Demand at present is purely local and only from the plains eastward, whence ranchmen and villagers look to the mountains for all their wood material. Sawed lumber brings $16 a thousand at the mill in the foothills and. according to accessibility, should bear a price of from *1 to f>3 a thousand on the stump. Fuel and fence polo, though nothing has heretofore been paid for them, should be worth 'lb cents a cord on the stump. The amount of material used on the adjacent plains will be greatly increased as irrigation is developed and the land capable of agriculture cultivated. Agricultural html. — There arc on this portion of the reserve approx- imately 150 square miles of land that have some agricultural value. Some of it is cultivated now and is very productive of crops not liable to injury by frosts. Timothy grows especially well. About 80 square miles of this land lies east of the foothills in that angle of the reserve reaching into the plains south of Birch Creek. This land should be opened to settlement. On the North Fork of Sun River, the tract next in size, are about ."> square miles of agricultural land (see Pis. XXI. II, and XXII. .1). The remainder is in small isolated areas here and there, not adapted to farming, but of value for raising hay and vegetables for the use of men employed in the forests. Irrigation. — The amount of water used in the reserve at present is insignificant. Perhaps altogether 100 acres are now under irrigation. These lands are some garden spots and hay land in the angle south of Birch Creek; Hannon's ranch, on Storehouse Creek (a branch of Sun River); and two ranches on Ford Creek. East of the reserve several large ditches are being used. The only one of these reaching the reserve is that tapping Dearborn River at the mouth of Falls Creek. The possibilities of irrigation on the plains eastward are great, as there is a large amount of rich, irrigable land. In view of the future demand for water, the destruction of the cover on the mountains is greatly to be regretted. Although the principal burns occurred only ten years ago, their effect upon the waterflow is plainly noticeable in the widening of the streams, the cutting of the banks, and the great deposits of gravel. Occupancy. — While no great amount of the land is utilized, small tracts are used here and there. Most of these are on the plains, in the angle south of Birch Creek. These were not examined in detail. On Sun River are two ranches, Hannon's and Wagner's (see PI. VI. /?). llannon has about 100 acres under cultivation and in pasture, while U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY TWENTY-FIRST ANN JAL REPORT PART V PL. XXIV KB £ ifl \jTwm9nSL ll^L*' [HdB*3pj :"«■» i 1 i ■ j ft'** : ■ ?* *J ^ J ^ M ^ i ^ 11 -^^^^^^ > ^ J.. ENGELMANN SPRUCE ON MOUNTAIN SIDE, SOUTH OF UPPER MONTOUR CREEK. /,• STUMP LAND UNBURNT, ADJOINING RESERVE ON SOUTH ayres] LEWIS AND CLARKE EESEEVE, MONTANA. 65 Wagner has 200 acres fenced in in pasture, and Hannon has about 30 horses on the North Fork of Sun River. On Ford Creek two ranches were found; one, recently established, has no land under cultivation; the other, on the main stream, has about 100 acres in grain and hay. At the head of Ford Creek about 500 cattle and as many sheep were found grazing July 27. This stock is owned by several different per- sons, the Fords, having ranches on the lower creek, being the principal owners. About the mouth of Falls Creek are several cabins occupied by half breeds who cut and saw wood from the reserve. About 5,000 sheep, said to lie owned by J. C. Fay, of Ilogan, Montana, were graz- ing in the valley of Falls Creek August 1. Water power. — The numerous streams (averaging about 6 miles apart) furnish many water powers along the eastern border of the reserve. Sun River, the largest, was about 300 feet wide and 3 feet deep, with rapid current July 24. Dearborn River, next in size, was 100 feet wide, 2 feet deep, and moderately rapid. Ford, Deep. Depuyer. Birch, and Badger creeks in July were each 25 feet or more wide and 2 feet deep, with strong current. Mining. — Some prospecting for gold and copper is being done on Smith Creek. Otherwise no mining operations were noticed. The principal rock is limestone. VALLEY OF MIDDLE FORK OF FLATHEAD RIVER. Topography. — This valley lies partly within and partly without the reserve. About 576 square miles, in a fairly compact body, are in- cluded within the boundaries. The portion of the valley outside the reserve is a strip, seldom more than ± miles wide, along the Great Northern Railway. The portion within the reserve, while not reaching into the highest altitudes of the range is still very rough and moun- tainous, excepting along the botfcmis of the main valley and the two principal branches. With this exception there is very little level land. The principal areas are occupied by irregular mountain ridges and peaks, the highest of which hold snow in drifts throughout the year. The portion outside the reserve is simply a mountain side along Sum- mit Creek and the Middle Fork of Flathead River below the mouth of Summit Creek. Hock. — Limestone is the principal rock occupying the summits of all the higher ridges, but shales and schists are found in the banks of the river where it cuts across the range. Some beds of quartzite outcrop in the mountain sides, but these are much thinner than those in the mountains north of the railroad. Soil. — As the soil is derived principally from limestone, it may be expected to be rich in plant food; and. in fart, wherever there is moist earth, unencumbered by snow, vegetation is luxuriant. A large part of the mountain summits is bare rock. Much of this area was once 21 geol, pt 5 5 66 FOKEST RESERVES. wooded, but tires have so thoroughly consumed the mosses and humus covering the surface that trees could not grow there now. Litter. — The amount of litter in this valley is greater than in any of the others. On the burned areas the trees killed by fire form a net- work over the ground, except where tires have been repeated and severe. On the unburned areas, covering nearly all of the two main forks of the valley, the old trees and others killed by overcrowding have fallen and such an amount of material has accumulated that it is difficult to take horses through the woods. Hum ux. — Corresponding with litter, humus is very light or wanting on the burns and heavy where the forest is uninjured by the fire. Both the west branch and the east are covered by a dense growth of trees, and excepting a small area near the forks have escaped fire many years. This freedom from fire has permitted humus to accu- mulate to a depth of 2 or 3 inches over most of the valley. There are occasionally willow bottoms where black muck has a depth of a foot or more, but these have no large area. 7/v , s mill timber. — Of this tract about 12-i square miles are timbered. Besides this. 1 1<> square miles are fairly covered with wood, about 180 are naturally bare, being on the high summits, and 162 square miles have been severely burned. Outside of the reserve some 35 square miles are scantily wooded with spruce and balsam, with some lodgepole pine, larch, and red fir on the lower slopes — perhaps 20 million feet B. M. of log timber and 200,000 cords of other material. The remaining 115 square miles are either burned or naturally barren. The species here do not differ from those in the South Fork Valley. Engelmann spruce is the principal timber tree. Larch, red fir. and lodgepole pine follow in importance. Balsam abounds on the higher mountain slopes, but is of little or no commercial importance. White pine may occur, but it was not noticed. Estimates. — The amount of log timber in the portion of the valley within the reserve is roughly estimated at 154 million feet B. M. Besides this log timber, there are about 1,500,000 cords of material unfit for the saw. The log timber is about 30 per cent spruce. 25 per cent larch, 20 per cent lodgepole pine, 20 per cent red fir, and 5 per cent other species. As to size and quality, there is great variety. In the ravines are tall and straight spruce of rapid growth and usually sound, while on exposed ridges are dwarfed and knotty trees often defective. Young growth. — Except on the burn on the main fork of the stream, there is no great amount of young growth. On the larger burns restocking has been scant and the trees are yet small. Among the older trees some young ones have started as the mature trees have fallen and made openings. These are of various sizes and are promis- ing for timber. But there are not in all cases enough to form a new stock of desirable kinds if the old trees were cut. The abundance of brush is a serious hindrance to the starting of seedlings. U. S. GEOLOGICAL SURVEY TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT PART V PL. XXV A. SWAN LAKE, LOOKING SOUTHWARD FROM FOINT 3 MILES ABOVE OUTLET. ^nfflB^R" 1 J s If >tM -^tfZv"™ ¥*■ Sffl ^ . f ^1 JL^- "• I <• . j M 1 A -Mi \" Jk^^n M 1 1 a 1 I ■ • I M t 1- I ill 1 ■ Ji. LOOKING TOWARD McOONALD PEAK FROM SWAN-CLEARWATER PASS. ayres.] LEWIS AND CLARKE RESERVE, MONTANA. 67 Underbrush. — Underbrush is more abundant than in any other por- tion of the reserve. The litter and brush make the trail through this valley almost impassable. Most of the hills east of the river, however, have been burned until they are almost free from brush. West of the river burns are older and brush has had time to reappear. Fires. — About 05 square miles within the reserve and 60 outside of it have been severely burned within the past twelve years. The hills east of the river are almost barren as a result of fire. The origin of most of these fires seems to have been along the railway, and they probably started either during the grading operations, or from sparks, cinders, or camp fires along the line since. It is said that at the time of the grading of the road there were two dry seasons, and fires were burning everywhere through the mountains. These statements are confirmed by the conditions in which we now find the forest. The fires at this dry time were almost invariably severe, killing all the forest through which they ran. Very few trees, indeed, are left living; only a few clumps in damper places, often several miles apart. Owing to the severity of these burns, reproduction has been scant. Most of the new stock is lodgepole pine, and most of this is near the border of unburned forests. Probably not over 20 per cent of the burns are restocked with seedlings of any species. The view over the mountains south of Bear Creek reveals a very few small unburned tracts in the most sheltered places, but the surface is nearly all bare, with the exception of a few dead trees, either standing or fallen. Deadwood. — Perhaps 100,000 cords of deadwood are standing within this portion of the reserve and 150,000 cords outside of the reserve line along the railroad. Cutting. — Within the lines of the reserve there has been no cutting except for camps and trails, but on the adjoining strip a great deal was cut during the construction of the railway forties, bridge timber, and fuel. No attempt was made to estimate the amount of this material, as there was not time. Transportation. — The only outlet for this valley is down the stream. The stream is drivable at moderate expense, and at Java touches the Great Northern Railway. The material outside the reserve, in the narrow strip along the railway, is, compared with the rest of the region, very accessible, as it is only necessary to chute the timber down the mountain side to load it on the cars. Demand. — Probably none of the material on this tract could be sold to-day at any price on the stump. East of this point, as at Midvale, and even near Summit, there is a growing demand for deadwood to be used on the plains eastward, but as this tract is on the western slope and below some of the heavier grades it could probably not compete at present with material from the eastern slope of the mountains, which now commands a price of only 25 cents a cord on the stump. 68 FOREST EESERVE8. Agricultv/ral loud. — There is no prospect for agriculture in the valley except, perhaps, that on a few spots the vegetables or hay needed hy lumbermen or miners working in the valley could l>e grown. Water power.- -Water power is abundant, the rapid fall of the stream furnishing many mill .sites. Occupancy. —There is no one living within the reserve, but along the railroad below are some three or four resident squatters. Essex is quite a little village, supported by railroad work, this place being used as a coaling station and for keeping engines used in helping up the mountain grade. At the other stations — Bear Creek. Java, Paola, and Nyack — are nothing but section houses. Mining. — Along Summit Creek, not far above Java, are some mining prospects, staked during the season of 1898. Aside from these no claims were noticed in the reserve. VALLEY OF SOUTH FORK OF FLATHEAD RIVER. Topography. -The area of this tract is about 1,860 square miles. Excepting about 240 square, miles draining into the Blackfoot, of which the surface is irregularly mountainous, with very narrow stream bottoms, this area comprises the whole drainage basin of the South Fork of the Flathead River. This basin is about 92 miles long and from 10 to 30 miles wide. It is bounded on the west by the high and sharp Kalispell Range, on the east by the Sheep Horn or Stanton Range, which southeastward joins the Continental Divide and with it forms an irregular boundary. This range has very rough topography on its western slope. For some 40 miles above the mouth of the South Fork the valley is narrow and. excepting some recesses in the mountains eastward, fairly uniform, but above or southward the parallel ridges forming the foot- hills of the Continental Divide are sharply cut across by streams, and a very rugged topography is the result, The west branch of the South Fork has a fan-shaped drainage, the western tributaries of which head in the mountains about Pend Oreille l'ass and How through sharp canyons until they reach the main stream. Willow Creek, which joins the West Fork to form the South Fork of the Flathead, has a much broader valley bottom than the West Fork. Above the first canyon there is an area of gravelly land with a maximum width of about 3 miles. About 8 miles above the first canyon is a short canyon through a ridge which cuts the valley in two near its middle. Above this canyon is a willow bottom about T miles long and from half a mile to a mile wide. This glaciated U-shaped valley continues southward beyond the headwaters of Willow Creek to those of the North Fork of the Rl.e.kfoot. The divide between the two streams is so low that the headwaters of Willow Creek could easily be turned into those of the North Fork- of < adwood. — The amount of deadwood standing is only about 600,000 cords, and this has no market value where it stands. Probably all will be fallen before it becomes accessible or marketable. ( 'utting. — There has been no cutting- on this tract except for cabins and camp use, unless it be in the extreme northwest corner of the reserve, which could not be located exactly, as the boundary lines there have not been surveyed. Many ties were made in that vicinity and put into the track during the construction of the road. Transportation. — The only way to get timber out of this region is northwestward, or down the stream. Were it not for several bad canyons, the river would be drivable for at least 80 miles above its mouth. It is possible these canyons can be improved so as to per- mit log driving, but the expense would be great. Elsewhere on the river driving would often be difficult because of the. wide bed of the river and the frequent gravel liars. A railroad along the river could lie built with easy grade, but the expense would be considerable. owing to frequent cut banks and ravines, and it is questionable whether the timber interests alone would warrant the construction of such a road. Demand. — At present, excepting possibly in the extreme north- western part of the reserve, timber has no market value where it stands. Prices at the nearest mill. Columbia Falls, are £:-! per M, and fuel, at present, hardly commands any stumpage. Agricultural land. — While some vegetables and hay would doubt- less grow in favorable spots throughout the valley, the liability of destructive frosts at any time during the season precludes the possi- bility of commercial agriculture. Perhaps 80 square miles are level enough to be arable, but much of this is gravelly and unsuitable for agriculture except for garden spots, to supply lumber or mining camps, in case of special need. Irrigation. —Very little water, indeed, will ever be used for irriga- tion in this valley, but it is possible that it may be used in the Flathead Valley outside of the mountains, where agriculture, though carried on at present without irrigation, would be improved by it. Occupancy. — There are about half a dozen cabins in the valley, but these are not occupied all the year. They belong to prospectors, who use them only while doing their assessment work. Watt r powt r. -Water power is abundant along the main stream and three of the tributaries. Spotted Bear and two streams from the west are huge enough to furnish power for sawmills. There are several very favorable sites for dams, and large amounts of water could be held above the canyons. Mining. — No ore has been shipped from the valley, but several claims are held in the lower portion for coal, gold, silver, and copper. 74 FOREST RESERVES. SWAX-CLEAKWATER VALLEY. Topography. — This tract, having an area of about 72.S square miles is about 59 miles long and varies from 8 to 16 miles wide. The Mi> sion Range on the west and the Kalispell Range on the east are high and sharp, and the low lands, increasing in width above the lakes, are undulating to rolling, and remarkably uniform in general topographic features. Rod-. — While outcroppings of limestone and quartzite, underlain by green schists, are almost continuous along the bordering mountain ranges, no outcrops were found in the bottom of the valley. There are certainly very few there. The bowlders of the valley are in gen- eral of the same material as found in place on the mountain sides, whence they have been brought by glacial action. Soil. — About the head of Swan Lake clays are prevalent and reach continuously some distance up the valley, as far as Soup Creek. Above this point, both up Swan River and its lateral tributaries, the soil is greatly varied, though in general a glacial till, with beds or banks of bowlder clay, and morainic ridges reaching out of the moun- tain gorges. The material left by the glaciers has been considerably modified by the later action of the water, especially near the river. A short distance above Lion Creek, or about 16 miles in a direct line above Swan Lake, sand and gravel become more prevalent over the general surface, and instead of large bowlders and finer sediments, as found to the northward, there are south of this point ridges and mounds of sandy and gravelly material with intervening meadows, often without surface drainage. Occasionally clay tracts are found in this portion of the valley, but this clay does not seem more productive than the sand. It is, in fact, sometimes found nearly barren. The "big burn," having an area of about 5 square miles, about 28 miles above the lake, has a clayey soil, and is only about half covered with vegeta- tion (lodgepole pine). 1 In preceding southward above the "big burn," little other than sandy or gravelly land was seen, except in the bluffs along water courses. As regards productiveness, the lower portion of the valley, or that within 16 miles of Swan Lake, which is more clayey, has with few exceptions a heavy covering of vegetation. This is in contrast with the lands of the upper valley, where the rather scant covering of larch and lodgepole pine at first gives the impression of a very poor soil, but upon close examination it is found that the sparseness of tree growth is largely due to frequently occurring tires which have thinned the forest. The soil of the upper portion of the valley is really better than one would consider it is in passing hastily through it. i The condition of this land is very much like the tract noted in the year 1898, on the Xorth Fork of Flathead River, and the cause of such barrenness invites study. U. S. GEOLOGICAL .SURVEY TWENTY-FIRST ANNUAL REPORT PART V PL. XXX A. STUMP LAND IN T. 26 N., R. 19 W., RESTOCKED DENSELY WITH RED FIR. 11. LARCH AND LODGEPOLE PINE ON BURN OF 1889. ayres] LEWIS AND CLARKE RESERVE, MONTANA. 75 Subsoil. — Bowlder clay and gravels, as usual in these once glaciated mountain valleys, constitute the greater portion of the subsoil. For about 10 miles above Swan Lake, however, a depressed, narrow strip in the central portion of the valley, which seems to have been occupied by the lake, has silts and fine alluvium, varied according to accidents in the work of streams that brought such material into the lake. Outside of this depression, however, both between it and the mountains, and in the valley above, or south of it, the recent deposits of tine material are not abundant, and bowlder clays, gravels, sands, and silts are almost the only subsoils. Very deep beds of very porous gravel, which cause prairie openings common in many of the mountain valleys, because of too thorough subdrainage for trees, are not common, although the greater portion of the upper valley is so dry as to be adapted only to such dry-land trees as larch and lodgepole pine. Humus. — Humus is light except in the lower portion of the valley, where it has been less burned and where it seems damper than above, or south of the old lake basin, which extends about 16 miles south of the present head of Swan Lake. Below the benches along the small streams there is frecpiently quite a depth of black earth, but in the morainic region nearer the mountains and southward across the main vallev there is but little humus outside of the depressions that are so damp as to never burn deeply. Litter. — Litter is correspondingly light where burns have been at all recent and abundant where the area is too damp to burn (see Pis. XXIII, B, and XXVI, A). Leaves and fine debris, however, have seldom accumulated to a depth of more than 3 or -i inches. Probably three-fourths of the whole area of the valley has less than 2 inches of such litter, the scantiness of litter being due principally to fire. Trees and timbt r. — The principal timber trees of the valley are larch, red fir, and yellow pine. Others that will yield a considerable amount are spruce, white pine, and lodgepole pine. Besides these are balsam, cedar, nut pine, hemlock, aspen, and cottonwood, of little commercial value, but possibly of use for some purpose. In distribution the first three are confined to the valley bottom, the benches, and the lower foothills, and the nut pine and balsam are usually limited to the mountain ranges. The hemlock, cedar, and white pine are found only in sheltered, damp places, as in the ravines or on the lower mountain sides, and the cottonwood is confined to the banks of streams; otherwise the species are fairly well mixed, with perhaps the exception of spruce, which seeks constant moisture and avoids dry subsoil (see Pis. XXVI, B, and XXVIII, A). In size the trees in this valley are hardly as large as in some other localities. The yellow pine, for instance, on the flat between Holt and Columbia Falls, reaches a diameter of 6 feet, even 7 feet on the stump, (6 KoRKST RE8EKVK8. unci a height of 150 feet, while above Swan Lake the largest trees noticed were about 4 feet in dia ter and LOO feet high. Lodgepole pine was rarely seen over 14 inches in diameter and To 1 feet high, while spruce is seldom found over 30 inches in diameter and 90 feet high (-ee PI. XXYIII. B). Although constituting the greater portion of the growth <>n the higher mountain sides, it has a size suitable for loo- timber only in gulches or on other dam]), fertile land. The amount of log timber in the valley, roughly estimated to 8-inch top, is as follows: Log limber in Swan-Clearwater Valley, Montana. M. feet B. m. Larch 1 , 1 1;„ i | Yellow pine 100,000 White pine in. in mi Red fir 500,000 Spruce ,. i ;.-,, mm Lodgepole pine 30, 000 Total 1 1 865, 1 K 10 This estimate is regardless of accessibility, of present custom of cut- ting, and present demand. It is simply intended to express a safe estimate of the amount of log timber. For the whole amount of wood material in the valley there should be added that too small for log timber, which has been very roughly estimated in cords, as follows: Timber in SwanrClearwater Valley too small for log timber. Cords Larch l, 200, I Lodgepole pine 1,000,000 Yellow pine _ 100,1 Spruce . 900, 01 10 Balsam 500, Red fir 400, 000 Other species 5i;i i, nun Total 4, 660, 000 Young or sapling growth. — This is abundant, except where repeat- edly burned, and its volume is fairly represented by the number of cords in the table above. The lower portion of the valley especially is well stocked with spruce, red fir, and larch subordinate to large trees on the same land (see PL XXIV, B). The upper portion of the valley is characterized by its young stock of lodgepole pine and larch, while the mountain slopes, especially the western slope of the Kalispell Range, are brushy with alder, willow, and mapleand only a sprinkling of larch, lodgepole pine, balsam, red fir, and aspen. In fact, the condition and distribution of the young growth is much affected by tire (see PL XXIX. .1). It is not only thinned by it. but the composition of the forest is made very irregular, and we find it patched by stock of various ages and by areas imperfectly occupied, or occupied by species O u. -J o ayres.j LEWIS AND CLARKE RESERVE, MONTANA. 77 promising no value. As a rule the tendency in the valley is toward a stock of more valuable species. In the lower or northern portion spruce and red fir are coming in where the older trees subside, and in the higher or southern portion of the valley larch is becoming more abundant as the lodgepole pine is injured by fire. An exception to this general tendency is found on the more severely burned portions. These almost invariably have been preempted by lodgepole pine in varying degrees of density, often to be completely denuded by succeeding fire (see PI. XXX, B). The yellow-pine lands, both about the headwaters of Swan River and in the Clearwater drainage, are, as usual, more free from young stock than the forests of other species, yet some of these tracts have a fair sprinkling of red fir. larch, and spruce coming in underneath the pine (see PL XXX, .1). As a rule these species do not reach tree size, being killed while small by repeated tires, while the yellow pine standing over them, protected by its thick bark, remains and furnishes favorable conditions for a new lot of seedlings, such as those just destroyed, to start again (see PI. XXIX. B). So much for the lowlands. The mountain sides have different tenden- cies. On them balsam and spruce compete with the lodgepole pine and larch, and toward the summits, or above