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<br />... <br />~ . <br /> <br />r <br />- - - <br /> <br />., <br /> <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- <br /> <br />~~~~- ~..... <br />'" . ,_ _ '- ,. -.~.. :::!o'~~..~ ~...,..,. <br />--. - -~ - - - ~ . <br />. ........~ ,..... -~ -. ~ . -";7.:- C..' -~'';';' <br />..... ..... '~-_. <br />.~ n . '"'. - ~ '-=' tl#'- /' . ~_. c <br />'-~./,(.n~~..~.. . ~I~~.,;:.~~,,-.:..~ <br />~~~~ .... - ~ m-., ~ ....... '..... ...,....-....,. ~ ','., .----.... ' <br />,-~-.:-"..,..... ~ r <br />~ ~7-~.. . -~ g ~:P <br />'b .' 'llI..-.!lI ~~:;"A -": tf,.., -.riPJ <br />~Jr'/ \--......~ r,:, ~ ~ f'J <br />~" ---- ~.. ~-- <br />....... "i:>'.(" r .' " <br />"'.... ~-~ "..-'.- <br />~~..!&:: ~. - -. ~ <br />. '--eo ..lZlo ~ - ~ <=.... <br />.... ~ .. ~$I-"<.-~'~'-_."''';. <br />'~-.......-. .. .,.... ......j)fl!'..-, <br />-- ......,.. . ,,' <br />.';;:---' . ~ ~ ;.~. .'~~ -' "'f"t)f <br />~~ . ~ "",J-'~~_~ ~ ..... <br />'.~...... '. ..:........ ~~~ .':\1'fc~;~tS'. <br />"'------, ,>\, >t:~"'~i;>("'-'..J,''''' <br />.~ ..~ -' ~ -... <br />~' ....,.<c ~..,- <br />~ .... . <br />_ '~;-" 'Pi. "' ." <br /> <br /> <br /> <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 <br />