| OCR Text |
Show PART III CURRENT WATERSHED CONDITIONS AND PROBLEMS, AND EFFECTS OF PROBLEMS Coal stripping Public Domain Land More than a century of resource exploitation on public domain land has created serious plant cover and soil deterioration. This depletion through improper livestock grazing, timber cutting, and other uses, greatly accelerated runoff and soil movement especially from the low- producing and -unstable shale and sandstone areas. Much of the accelera- ted erosion still persists today. Various land treatments, structures, and management practices are employed in combating the depleted condi- tion, and to enhance production for multiple uses. A part of public domain land is so erodible and unproductive that they do not respond to treatment and most will require complete protec- tion from grazing and other uses. These relatively barren and unpro- ductive areas are scattered somewhat, but correspond quite closely to concentrations of the marine shales. 26 |
