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<br />cover the south slope~ around the steeper pcrjmeter~ of the area. Other cxpO~ure.!'i and
<br />most of the canyons are timbered.
<br />
<br />An epidemic of spruce bark beetle, a devastating we~tcrn in:-;ect. hit the ~pru('e
<br />forests of Colorado in the carly 19~O's. It covered 260.000 acres and ravaged more
<br />than 68,000 acres of almost solid Engelmann spruce -"lands in the proposed Wilder-
<br />ness on the Hat Tops. Salvage of the tremendous volullll' of dead spruce in areas out-
<br />side of the Primitive Area proved economically unattractive ('\'('11 in relativt:'ly accessible
<br />areas.
<br />
<br />Twenty-five ycar:-; later. the spruce bark bectlc epidl'mil' is memorialized in a silvl:'f
<br />forest of dead ~mags. Under the lifeless. graying skeleton..... a Ilew forest of spruce and
<br />subalpine fir is rcvegetating the ravaged area. Thus. Olll' of the \'alue~ in the propol"t.'d
<br />Wilderness is that it provides an opportunity to study the natural t,t'oloJ..,rical pnx'csst.'s
<br />that follow an uncontrolled bark beetle epidemic.
<br />
<br />:<-Iany thousand cords of dead, deteriorated sprUt'e timber until a few ....ears ago were
<br />suitable for pulpwood. It has now lost it1'i economic value. A quarter million curds of
<br />live gngelmann spruce and other timber species arc widely scallcred in islan(!1'i and
<br />stringers among the dead s.pruce. Although much of it i1'i merchantable 1'iize, it is not
<br />now operable because of cost factors.
<br />
<br />Acreage flbrures relating to timber sitcs and volume1'i of predominately dead matcrial
<br />might convey a misleading impression as to timber values. .\101'it of the 72.775 acre,:,; of
<br />spruce lypes. are located on the tablelands. Site quality is poor, with mature tree height
<br />averaging two or three merchantable lug Icng-ths. Timber which lX.'cur~ as islands or
<br />patches in grasslands has difficulty in reproducing ibclf. En.'1l oubidc any \\'ilderncss,
<br />it is doubtful that these spruce stands would contribute any significant amount of long-
<br />term managed timber yield.
<br />
<br />Timber within tht' Primitivc Area ha1'i never been induded in the im'cntory upon
<br />which the allowable cut for the working circle is based. Timber in the prupo1'ied addi-
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<br />The p'opo~ed bovnda.y t'o~~e~ I'a", pa,n' 'a po'n'.o 'nclvde 8'9 F,.h L,,~e ond Flo'ence La_e La_e 01 'he
<br />Wood~ is ou,,",de ,h., p'opa.ed ....<lde'ness Th,. '. pa" of Add,',on L '0 'he P""'.tove 0'....0
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