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Show measures must be taken to control disastrous range fires. Btit the physical needs, important and as badly needed as they are, cannot take the place of sound range management. In addition, about 1.9 million miles of terraces are needed, -431,000 miles of grassed waterways should be installed, nearly 800,000 minor erosion structures should be built, and 20,000 miles of eroded stream banks and road slopes should be stabilized. Many irrigated lands are badly eroding as a result of inadequate leveling, poor lay-out of farm ditches, improper drainage facilities, and the use of too much water. IMuch water now wasted could be saved if sound practices were followed. Forest.-The 21 million acres of commercial forest land can be made to contribute a great deal more to the basin economy and to watershed pro- tection tlian at present. These lands could be man- aged so as to supply about half of the basin's needs for wood products instead of the present one-fifth. To achieve this result, several important problems must be solved. In the Rocky Mountains, principally in the na- tional forests, there is overmature timber ready for harvest. Utilization will require access roads. Proper management can increase water yields as well as promote sustained production of timber. Better protection from fire, insects, and disease is essential in most forest areas. Fire not only dam- ages or destroys timber but it also renders the trees more susceptible to insects and disease. In the national forests, fire protection is approaching a de- sirable standard of effectiveness. With the in- creased use to which all forests on Federal lands are being subjected, however, the present protective organization will need to be strengthened. Fire protection on State and private lands is below ac- ceptable standards, and some areas are still unpro- tected. From the watershed standpoint, the need is to keep fires small enough so that no large per- centage of any watershed will be denuded at any time. The loss of timber from bark beetles is a problem of urgent importance. In Montana, some 5 bil- ' lion board feet of timber have been killed by bark beetles in the past 30 years. At present, large vol- umes of Colorado spruce are threatened. The dead standing trees resulting from these depreda- tions constitute a severe continuing fire hazard. Nearly 5 million acres of badly depleted or de- nuded timber lands, mainly in the lower basin, should be replanted. About 75 percent is in pri- vate ownership. Most of these lands were denuded by fire. Deterioration on private lands is largely due to the lack of management for timber production. The recreation use of forest lands is growing rapidly with increased accessibility and more op- portunities for leisure. This fact creates a problem, since the recreation demand is outstripping the facilities for the comfort, pleasure, and safety of users. This is particularly the case in the national forests, where development of even simple facilities has been handicapped in recent years by lack of funds. The influx of recreationists creates fire hazards. The commercial forest lands are producing less than half of their potential output. As a rule pri- vate timber lands have been operated without re- gard for replenishment of the growing stock. An expansion of programs of public aids and technical assistance to private forest landowners can sup- plement public regulation of cutting and other for- est practices to stop forest destruction and keep pri- vate lands reasonably productive. The problem of rehabilitation on almost 5 mil- lion acres of private forest lands presents special difficulty. The necessary measures to restore and improve the forest resources and to safeguard water resources on these lands may prove too costly for the private owners. A threat to watershed management has arisen from the pressure of individuals and organized groups to change the range management policies in national forests. Some livestock operators have resisted policies restricting the use of the national forest ranges so as to protect and rehabilitate the watersheds. They have sought to dictate range use. Other groups having an interest in other ben- efits from the national forests, including sportsmen, recreationists, conservationists, and water users, have opposed the livestock interests in this con- troversy. Conclusions The Missouri River drainage basin, with its large area and varied topography, differing climates, varied types of vegetative cover, and diversified agriculture, has presented problems of major con- cern. Erosion is continuing at a rapid rate on many soils; flash floods and damaging runoff are creating very real problems throughout the entire basin. Solutions are complex. Programs of im- provement and development are basin-wide and re- quire considerable skill in application. Although proposals for a far-reaching program 213 |
