Part 21

Leaf, one-third natural size. Fruit and twig, two-thirds natural size.]

The bark is light gray tinged with red, 1/2 to 2/3 inch thick, irregularly divided into large plate-like scales. Macerating the inner bark in water yields a blue dye.

The leaves are 8 to 12 inches long, having 7 to 11 stalked leaflets, long pointed and coarsely toothed, thick and firm, smooth and yellowish-green above, paler beneath.

The flowers are without petals and appear in clusters when the buds begin to expand.

The fruit is flattened and oblong, 1 to 2 inches long and less than 1/2 inch wide and usually notched at the outer end. The wing is about twice the length of the seed-bearing portion and extends down the sides past the middle.

The wood is heavy, hard, and close-grained, light yellow, streaked with brown, with a very broad zone of lighter sapwood. It is not usually distinguished commercially from the wood of other ashes.

The pumpkin ash, Fraxinus tomentosa Michx., grows in deep river swamps in southern Illinois. It is a tall slender tree, usually with a much enlarged base. The twigs are light gray. The leaves, with 7 to 9 leaflets, smooth above and soft downy below, are from 10 to 18 inches long.

The black ash, Fraxinus nigra Marsh., appears occasionally on the flood plains in the northern part of the State. It may be known by its ashy light gray bark, its very thick twigs and sessile, long-pointed sharply serrate leaflets.

+CATALPA+ Catalpa speciosa Warder

THIS is a native to the Wabash Valley of Illinois, but has been widely planted and has spread somewhat farther as a result of cultivation. It is a medium sized tree with a short trunk and broad head with spreading branches. Because of its attractive flowers and conspicuous heart-shaped leaves, it is considerably used for shade and ornament. The bark varies from dark gray to brown, slightly rough, being divided in narrow shallow strips or flakes. The leaves are simple, opposite, oval, long-pointed, 6 to 10 inches long, and heart-shaped at the base.

Leaf, one-third natural size. Twig, two-thirds natural size.]

The flowers appear in clusters or panicles in May or June. They are white with purple and yellow markings, and this makes them decidedly showy and attractive. The fruit consists of a bean-like pod, 8 to 16 inches long. It hangs on the tree over winter and gradually splits into 2 parts, or valves. The seeds are about 1 inch long and terminate in wings that are rounded and short-fringed at the ends. They are freely carried by the wind.

The wood is rather soft, light, coarse-grained and durable in contact with the soil. It is used for fence posts, poles and fuel, and occasionally for railroad ties.

The paulownia, Paulownia tomentosa (Thumb). Steud., is a large tree native of China with the aspect of the catalpa with broad opposite leaves. Its upright pyramidal clusters of pale violet flowers which appear with the unfolding of the leaves are strikingly handsome. The individual flowers are bell-shaped, two inches long and spotted with darker purple.

DEPARTMENT OF CONSERVATION

Division of Forestry

THE State Division of Forestry was organized in 1926 as a division of the Department of Conservation. It was organized at that time as a result of an increased need for proper forestry practices within the State on the part of the owners of timber land and potential timber lands.

The objectives of the Division are as follows:

1. To promote and assist in the reforestation of idle lands unfit for agriculture.

2. To prevent and control woods fires.

3. To control erosion by the planting of trees.

4. To establish State forests to act as demonstration areas in timber land management.

5. To assist Illinois farmers, landowners, and corporations in woodland management practices.

6. To assist in the establishment of county and community forests.

7. To disseminate forestry knowledge through the publication of forestry literature.

Reforestation

Illinois has within its total land area of approximately 35,800,000 acres, 2,500,000 acres of land that should be reforested. These lands are lying idle at present due to the fact that they are too poor for agricultural purposes. As such they provide an economic burden to their owners and to the State because they are unproductive. These same lands will grow trees profitably, therefore, it is necessary that they be planted to trees for a future timber crop which ultimately will bring a revenue to the landowners and community.

To meet this situation, the Department of Conservation, Division of Forestry has developed two large forest tree nurseries capable of producing 15,000,000 trees annually for reforestation and erosion control purposes. These trees are available to farmers and landowners at prices varying from $5.00 to $15.00 per thousand, dependent upon the species of trees desired. Trees secured from the State must be used only for reforestation and erosion control and cannot be used for landscape or ornamental plantings.