The forests of the Montezuma have high watershed value and a forest cover is very important, because the dominant soil types are silt and clay loam which erode readily. If these soils are not held in place, much material is carried away by the streams. In the aggregate, this has a considerable effect on the Colorado River and the water it furnishes for irrigation.
The headwaters of the principal streams of this region rise on the forested watersheds of the Montezuma. These watersheds are covered with deep snows each winter, and the forest cover retards the melting snow and provides a more uniform distribution of the run-off. Watershed protection is, therefore, an essential and important factor in the administration of the forest.
Irrigation water for Thompsons Park, the Montezuma and Paradox Valleys, and the Norwood-Redvale country is provided by streams which rise in the Montezuma Forest. The towns of Rico and Telluride obtain their water supply from the forest. In addition to the use of water for irrigation and domestic purposes, a number of water-power sites have been developed on the forest. A large volume of water flows into the Colorado River, and these waters are impounded by Boulder Dam and used for power and irrigation in the general development of that project.
TIMBER IS CHIEF RESOURCE
The Montezuma National Forest has a stand of about 2,072,000,000 board feet of timber. About 57 percent of this is Engelmann spruce, 23 percent is ponderosa pine, and 19 percent is a mixture of alpine and cork-bark fir. There are also small quantities of Douglas fir and piñon pine.
During the last 5-year period there has been an average yearly cut of 12,000,000 board feet of lumber on the forest. Most of this was sawed at McPhee, where the largest sawmill in Colorado is located. It has a capacity of 80,000 board feet each working day. In previous years, it has sawed considerable timber cut from privately-owned land, but is now dependent largely upon timber from the forest. The spruce timber, of which there is a large amount on the Montezuma, is especially well suited for pulpwood.
Timber is grown and cut in accordance with approved forestry methods. Mature trees to be removed are marked in advance of cutting by trained foresters. Trees which are not mature are left to be cut in later years. They respond to the influence of more light, soil moisture, and nutriment with greatly increased growth and also seed the open places.
UTILIZATION OF FORAGE RESOURCES
Raising livestock is a large and important industry in and adjoining the forest. Stock is wintered on the nearby ranches and depends for summer pasture on the forest ranges. Some 20,000 cattle and 66,000 sheep, owned by 285 stockmen, are grazed on the forest each summer.
