Identifier: reportofstatehig00iowa Title: Report of the State highway commission on the Iowa lakes and lake beds Year: 1917 (1910s) Authors: Iowa. Highway Commission Subjects: Lakes Forests and forestry Blackbirds Publisher: Des Moines, Pub. by the state of Iowa Contributing Library: The Library of Congress Digitizing Sponsor: The Library of Congress

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Text Appearing Before Image: ring the first few years. Cottonwood is particularly well adapted for P0SSIB1UTIICS OK ItH-FURKSTATlOX 227 this work. Planting on these anas should then be carried forward,using the longer-lived trees as far as possible. Awn and Description. Although the improvement work around Blue lake should eventually in-clude other areas, this plan considers only a portion of land known asthe neck, which is included between the two arms of the lake. The area for which this planting plan is prepared consists of approx-imately 400 acres. About one-half of this area is quite flat and is lessthan five feet in elevation above the lake. The remainder is made up oflow sand hills—the highest being about fifteen feet in height. The surface soil on the lower areas is a sandy loam with some occas-ional clay. The soil of the low undulating hills is almost pure sandwhich is badly eroded by the action of the wind where the light vegeta-tive cover is broken. The vegetation on the flat areas bordering the lake

Text Appearing After Image: Fig. 108—Scattered growth of timber on the neck of land between the two arms ofBlue l,ake, in Monona County. The sandy stretches shown in the picture areshifting from year to year through the action of the wind. In places the treeshave been practically uprooted. This makes up a portion of the area recom-mended for improvement along Blue Lake. By planting suitable species of trees,the blowing sand will be checked and a beautiful forest park will be madeavailable for the tise of the people. It, is probable that this land could be pur-chased at a price of a few dollars per acre, since it has little or no agriculturalvalue. is made up of grass and weeds of sufficient density to form a moderatelyheavy sod. Where the First Reforestation Work Should Start. Block 1 on Plate 72 shows the area which should be improved first.This adjoins one of the most beautiful sections of the lake; is moreeasily accessible from the nearest town, Onawa, than other parts; andlends itself readily to reforestat

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