Timber Resources.—The actual forested areas within the Shoshone extend
in altitudinal range from about 6,000 to 10,000 feet above sea level.
Below the lower limits of the typical forest areas is a scattering tree
growth of aspen and cottonwoods, restricted principally to the stream
courses.
It is estimated that approximately 48 percent of the net area of the
forest is covered with timber, and supports a stand of some 2¼ billion
board feet. Lodgepole pine, Douglas fir, and Engelmann spruce are the
principal timber species; alpine fir, Rocky Mountain red cedar, and
several minor broadleaved species also occur.
Mature timber may be purchased, and when sales are made the cut is so
regulated that a perpetual supply of timber will be available without
destroying the forest cover. There are more than 20 different timber
operations within the forest which provide lumber, posts, poles, and
other timber products for the communities and residents of the Big Horn
Basin and adjacent territory, and provide a living for approximately 100
families. These operations also supply such special products as railroad
ties and mine timbers and props. Hundreds of ranchers and farmers obtain
directly such material as corral poles, fence posts, and fuel from the
forest.
Water Resources.—The vast coniferous forests of the Shoshone are
important as a ground cover in regulating the flow of streams having
their headwaters inside its boundaries. By retarding the run-off from
melting snows and rains, the forests help to prevent erosion and floods
in the spring and conserve the flow of water through the summer when it
can be used for irrigation. The development of agriculture and, in fact,
the future growth of Wyoming and other Western States are absolutely
dependent upon irrigation water. Two large irrigation projects, the
Shoshone and Sunshine, are dependent upon the forest watersheds, as are
many cooperative and individual users. Without doubt the greatest social
and economic contribution of the forest to those living within and
adjacent to it, and the State at large, is water for irrigation and
domestic use.
The Shoshone project waters 73,000 acres, on which agricultural crops
having a value of approximately $2,000,000 are raised annually. With the
completion of the Hart Mountain Division of this project, the area under
water will be increased by approximately 41,000 acres. Local enterprise
in the form of cooperative and individual projects has brought under
irrigation more than 60,000 acres additional. The Sunshine project
provides supplemental water for a part of the land included in the last
figure given. If the Shoshone project is developed to capacity, it is
estimated that approximately 163,000 acres of land will be under water.
There are over a million acres of arid lands in the plains of the Big
Horn and Yellowstone Basins, with favorable soils and potential farm
values if water can be made available for irrigation. It is important to
conserve the forest and forage cover so that the greatest volume of
usable water may be available for agricultural use. The future
prosperity and agricultural development of the region is limited to a
great extent by the amount of water that can be supplied for irrigation
from the streams having their sources within the Shoshone Forest.
Grazing Resources.—The raising of livestock is a basic industry in
Wyoming. The Shoshone provides summer range for 10,000 cattle and
horses, and 75,000 sheep, owned by almost 200 resident owners. The
higher ranges are particularly good for the production of lambs and
wool, and the lower ones are excellent for beef. Range is also furnished
for horse herds of the dude ranchers and for dairy cattle.
Permittees grazing livestock in the national forest are assigned
specific grazing allotments, and are required to handle their stock
according to approved management practices. Local officers endeavor to
stock all ranges conservatively for the purpose of preventing range
deterioration which reduces the volume of forage produced and starts
erosion.
Grazing permittees are selected on the basis of ownership of improved
ranch property which is dependent upon forest range to make it an
economic unit. This policy favors the established tax-paying citizen and
eliminates the tramp stockman who has no base of operations but exploits
the country through which he passes.
In spite of the fact that all ranges adapted to the grazing of livestock
have been fully stocked for many years, sufficient forage is reserved to
take care of the 3,500 elk, 6,200 mule deer, 750 antelope, 700 mountain
sheep, and 250 moose which inhabit the forest.
[Illustration: F-385820
_High above the clouds on Beartooth Plateau._]