Later, there should also be a project at Bozeman on high mountain livestock and big game ranges with related watershed protection research. This would require an additional $200,000.

Fiscal year 1961 increases enabled us to locate two scientists at Bozeman. They have begun work on some of the silvicultural aspects of lodgepole pine management. Increases recommended in the Eisenhower budget for fiscal year 1962 would permit small increases in the program at Bozeman with a start on engineering research.

Senator Stennis in his speech before the Senate on January 31, included a proposal for an office-laboratory at Bozeman to cost $175,000. This is one of the construction projects in the research plan for the second year level which Senator Stennis mentions. This laboratory would provide badly needed quarters and facilities immediately needed. Later a substantial addition to the building would be required as the program built up, with an eventual total investment in building and related facilities of about $500,000.

Our two men are presently housed at Montana State College but there is insufficient room in college buildings for expansion or adequate laboratory space. The college, however, has indicated a strong desire to provide the Forest Service with a site for a new building and we would expect to maintain our work on the

campus.

I am enclosing a copy of "Brief recommendation for the initiation of a regional forestry research program at Bozeman, Mont." prepared by the Montana State Planning Board in February 1959. This gives background material on the need for a research program in lodgepole pine. We agree with the board's analysis of the problems although not all of the research suggested would be done in Bozeman. The insect research, for example, could be handled more effectively at our insect laboratories in Missoula.

BRIEF OF RECOMMENDATION FOR THE INITIATION OF A REGIONAL FORESTRY
RESEARCH PROGRAM AT BOZEMAN, MONT.

Recommendation: That a regional forestry research program with an annual operating budget of $250,000 be initiated at Bozeman, Montana, the location of Montana State College; such program to specilize in basic forestry research on problems in the utilization and management of lodgepole pine type forests which characterize the Rocky Mountain Region.

This recommendation is made for the following reasons:

1. Lodgepole pine is one of the principal timber species of the region

With a total of 14.5 million acres, lodgepole pine is the third largest timber type in the West, exceeded only by Ponderosa pine type with 37.5 million acres and Douglas fir type with 31.7 million acres. Second largest timber type in eight Mountain States, lodgepole pine is the last frontier of the U.S. lumber industry. As shown in the following tabulation, approximately one third of the Nation's lodgepole pine type is in Montana, with lesser amounts in other adjoining and nearby Western States:

2. The lodgepole pine industry is relatively new, is growing rapidly, and has tremendous potential

Until 12 to 15 years ago, lodgepole pine was regarded as having little economic importance, but results of research and present trends of raw material use leaves little doubt that this long ignored tree can make a very substantial contribution to the economy of the region and the Nation. If full use were made of the forests in the Mountain States, timber industry employment could be increased sixfold. No small part of that opportunity is in the lodgepole pine type. Not only does Montana have the lion's share of the lodgepole pine; it has much of the best. Lodgepole is one of the better softwoods, comparing well in most physical properties with Ponderosa pine, and boards of the same size and grade of either species can be used interchangeably for most uses. Lodgepole pine is also an excellent pole and pulpwood species.

Because of these desirable characteristics, a substantial part of Montana's tremendous growth in the timber industry since World War II has occurred in the production of lodgepole pine. This is a good sign, and consumer interest, from all parts of the country, indicates that further expansion of manufacturing facilities using this valuable softwood can be expected.

Modern sawmills in Belgrade, Livingston, and White Sulphur Springs, Mont., are almost entirely dependent on lodgepole; and mills in Missoula, Libby, and elsewhere are using increasing amounts of this species.

Pulpwood is being currently cut both in eastern and western Montana for use in Lake States and west coast papermills. Complete satisfaction in the quality for pulp is reported. Additional volumes are also being cut for pulpwood in Idaho and Washington.

Lodgepole pine is also particularly well suited for small and medium size poles, and major pole production centers at Bozeman, Libby, and Butte are consuming increasing volumes to meet the growing demand.

Despite the healthy growth of Montana's lodgepole pine timber industry in recent years, the potential ahead is even larger. Production from the lodgepole pine type stands in Montana is far below capacity, and a similar condition of underutilization exists in other States having the resource.

3. Numerous problems requiring research must be solved before lodgepole pine forests can make a maximum contribution

Industrial expansion based upon utilization of the huge lodgepole pine type resource poses perplexing problems both to the industry and to the land managers.

Lodgepole pine, because of its relatively inaccessible, dense stands of small diameter trees, presents some distinct problems in logging. Because it takes several small logs to yield a volume of wood comparable to that contained in large logs, expenses of handling are higher. Needed, therefore, in the shorter term are cheaper and more efficient methods of handling, and longer term efforts should be directed toward improving silvicultural practice to grow bigger trees.

Problems associated with manufacturing and marketing small diameter timber are also uppermost in the lodgepole pine type. Small diameter timber yields much valuable wood unsuited for present solid wood uses, thus the needs for building toward a fully integrated industry are apparent. Industry needs to know how to economically utilize the fiber potential, make large boards out of small, and mask defects with various overlay materials. Then, determining the best ways to market these products is an important phase of the problem. Much needs to be known about how to cut lodgepole pine to get prompt regeneration of proper density and yet have the methods consistent with good watershed management, disease control, and game habitat management. Many questions remain to be answered: Why are some cuttings near Yellowstone Park in Gallatin and Targhee Forests not regenerating? What is the best size of cutting for watershed management? How should timber be cut and the slash treated to get adequate but not too much regeneration?

Lodgepole pine is variable both as a species and as a forest type. In eastern Montana it is long lived, but in the inland empire it is short lived. In eastern Montana the cones typically take several years to cast their seeds, but in the

inland empire it happens each year. In eastern Montana and southern Idaho lodgepole pine frequently occurs as a pure type, while in western Montana and northern Idaho it usually occurs in mixtures with other trees. Such variations need study to develop tailored management methods to insure long-term productivity for the different species and forest types.

A serious problem of lodgepole pine is extreme density, or overstocking, which results in stagnation and loss in growth. Information is needed on the density of stand, at various ages, and on the wide variation of site conditions which will most efficiently utilize the site to produce the size of tree desired. Once these standards of density are determined, further study is needed to find how to control density economically after cutting. And what can be done to improve growth in the overdense stands now occupying thousands of acres? How effective are thinning and pruning practices, and to what extent are they economic? Just how should immature stands be managed?

The foregoing paragraphs list a few problems needing attention, but there are others. What are the effects of variations in soils on lodgepole pine regeneration, stocking, growth, and defect? What is the growth and yield of lodgepole forests, and how can management improve this? How can timber harvesting be coordinated with recreation requirements, with watershed management, with livestock grazing, with big game use?

4. Watershed and land conservation considerations are of primary importance in lodgepole pine areas

In conjunction with developing cheaper and more efficient logging methods, attention must be given to recognizing and understanding the effects of timber harvest on the land. What are the effects of various logging methods on site deterioration, watershed damage, stream pollution? The importance of these lodgepole pine forests to the watersheds of the West cannot be minimized.

How to control peak runoff without increasing erosion and sediment production is another problem. As these vast forests are logged, increases in water yield can be anticipated. It is essential to understand the effects and relationships of increased yield and erosion.

How can snowmelt be prolonged to effect a more even distribution of streamflow? Cutover timber stands, second-growth stands, and old-growth stands all have different capacities to hold snow. What these differences are and how the different stand conditions relate to snowmelt need to be fully understood.

5. Cutting practices affect range uses

Cutting of lodgepole pine results in increased forage for livestock grazing. Little is known, however, of the forage responses following logging—the kind, amount, development, and persistence. Nor is much known about how to utilize and manage forage in cut areas for livestock production without detrimental effects on timber production and watershed values.

The same problems exist in the use of cutover areas for big game production. 6. Insect and disease control problems of lodgepole pine

Like other tree species, lodgepole pine is beset with a number of insects and diseases which must be controlled if this species is to be grown, managed, and utilized.

One of the most destructive insects to Montana forests is the mountain pine beetle. An epidemic of this beetle in Montana and Idaho lodgepole pine stands between 1911 and 1935 destroyed 15 billion feet of timber. Information on the biology and control of this and other insects affecting lodgepole pine is a must for management of these forests.

Another serious pest of lodgepole pine, dwarfmistletoe, needs much additional study to determine its impact and control methods. Most of Montana's lodgepole pine stands are affected to some extent by this disease.

Lodgepole pine has many other serious diseases about which little is known. What is the importance of red heart, what is its cause, and what can be done about it? How can hip canker be controlled? What is the effect of native rusts and how can they be controlled? What is the pathological rotation age for lodgepole pine as determined by heart rots?

7. Bozeman is geographically at center of major part of resource

As shown in the map on the following page, Bozeman is located geographically in the heart of the West's lodgepole pine type forests. Sixty-seven percent of the total resource is in the three States of Montana, Idaho, and Wyoming; and these States plus Colorado contain 80 percent of the total resource.

In addition to the close proximity to a major part of the total resource, Bozeman is also an advantageous location in terms of a close proximity to all of the variations in species and forest types described above in No. 3. Being on the eastern slope of the Continental Divide and near the headwaters of the Missouri Basin, close proximity to major watershed and forest livestock ranges is also possible. Thus, field study and research in all aspects of land management can be accomplished in a most efficient and economic manner.

Bozeman's location is particularly outstanding from the point of manufacturing and utilization, too. Most active development, in point of time, is expected in this area because of the generally superior quality of the resource. Industrial expansion in the immediate vicinity is already well underway as evidenced by the activities in the Belgrade, Bozeman, Livingston, and White Sulphur Springs areas, all within less than 100 highway miles of Bozeman. 8. Related research and laboratory facilities are available at Montana State College

Montana State College, located in Bozeman, is a land grant college with research personnel and facilities available for cooperative research. Numerous Federal agencies and land management functions are presently performed there that will be beneficial to any basic forestry research activities. Especially significant in these respects are water resource and range management programs carried on under the agricultural experiment station; the personnel and laboratory facilities of the divisions of agriculture, engineering, and science; the research foundation: excellent library facilities; and an efficient computer center, with an IBM 650, for data processing. Headquarters offices of the agricultural stabilization and conservation, Soil Conservation Service, Farmers Home Administration, and Forest Service are also maintained in Bozeman. Excellent opportunities, in a scientific and academic atmosphere conducive to research, therefore, exist in Bozeman for carrying on a well-coordinated program. Teams of competent specialists to work with Forest Service personnel can be organized to attack the myriad problems associated with conserving and developing the region's timber resource. Additionally, substantial economies are possible by the use of existing technical buildings and laboratory spaces at Montana State College, thereby eliminating the large costs for physical facilities which would normally be required in establishment of a new research program. The administration at Montana State College pledges full cooperation in making that institution's facilities available on a cooperative basis at minimum costs.

CONCLUSION

In just about every one of the problems of lodgepole pine utilization, protection, and management listed in the foregoing paragraphs economics has an important part. Which methods of utilization, protection, and management are economically sound? How can the resource best meet the needs of the Nation? A strong, well-balanced, well-coordinated research program can do much to develop the lodgepole pine resource in an orderly fashion and for the long-time good of Montana, other Mountain States, and the Nation as a whole. Research can speed the develpment of the resource and at the same time bring about proper management of the land so that use of the resource can continue to benefit mankind indefinitely.

The research program should be highly coordinated as the apparently separate problems are actually intricately related. For example, utilization depends on cutting practices, these in turn are influenced by requirements for regeneration, protection of the watershed, disease control, recreation use, and big game management. Again, utilization requirements often dictate the management practices needed to produce the needed product. The problems can best be solved by a group of reserch specialists working as a closely knit team on a coordinated research program.

Prepared by: Montana State Planning Board, Sam W. Mitchell Building, Helena, Mont.

Map showing in the shaded areas the lodgepole-pine type forest stands in Western States.

The species occurs in nearly pure forests or in mixture with many other species.

Hon. FRED A. SEATON,

Secretary of Interior, Washington, D.C.

OCTOBER 10, 1960.

DEAR MR. SECRETARY: During the last several years there has been a decline in range use due to deterioration of the Federal range. Our livestock economy is most important to the economic growth of this Nation. Each decade for several generations there have been national timber situation appraisals, but there have been no comparable range appraisals.

We find no coordinated national program to foster range development or even a source of statistical data comparable in character or quality to "Timber for America's Future," published by the Department of Agriculture.

We request, therefore, that your Departments undertake jointly to make a study similar in scope to be titled, "America's Grazing Lands." In addition to the analysis of livestock usage, there should be included data on browse for game.