FORTY-FIFTH ANNUAL REPORT. 49 



the State Board of Agriculture from among tlieir membership, and one 

 to be nominated by the Board of Control of the College of Mines. The 

 Governor was to appoint the members so nominated and they, with three 

 State officials, comprised the Public Domain Commission. 



The appropriation for carrying on this Avork was increased from time 

 to time and the Commission went ahead with its labors. Lands were 

 withdrawn from market and set aside in forest reserves, the nursery 

 was increased in size, lire lines were constructed, look-out towers erect- 

 ed, and other work necessary for the promotion of forestrj^ was carried 

 on. 



In 1912 I was a candidate for Commissioner of the State Land Office 

 on a platform to abolish the office, stop the selling of land and turn 

 all lands over to the l*ublic Domain Commission. I was elected and 

 on the second day of January, 1913 — the first day being a legal holi- 

 day — I withdrew all lands from market and since tliat time Michigan 

 has had no State lands for sale. 



It has been six years since the Public Domain Commission was organ- 

 ized and I think I can truthfully say that these six years have been as 

 fruitful along conservation lines as any six-j^ear period in any State 

 in the Union. As I stand before your organization today and look 

 back over the path revealed by the Public Domain Commission, 1 am 

 amazed at the things that have been accomplished. 



We have at the present time 600,000 acres of land available for for- 

 estr}^ purposes. This would make 101 forest reserves with nine square 

 miles in each reserve. Our nursery at Higgins Lake has been extended 

 until it contains 12 acres and has a capacity of 12,000,000 seedlings. 

 We have 52 forest reserves set aside and ready to be brought under 

 management as fast as financial conditions will permit. We have six 

 reserves, containing 130,000 acres, under management at the present 

 time. On these reserves there are 350 miles of fire lines, graded, plowed 

 and disced ten feet in width; seven steel look-out towers sixty feet high, 

 nse<l in the protection of the forests from fire. From these steel look- 

 oiii towers radiate 30 miles of telephone lines, which carry the message 

 of danger to the men at work. AYe have over 3,000 acres of plantations, 

 and this year alone we have been able to i)lant more than was ever 

 ])lanted in three years previous, namely: 1,077 acres. We have ex- 

 changed over 3,000 acres of land with jji-ivate inviduals for the purpose 

 of consolidating our forest reserves, and have at the present time 11,000 

 acres examined and ready to exchange with the United States govern- 

 ment. We expect this exchange to be completed during the winter 

 months. On our big reserve in Roscommon county we have placed a 

 herd of elk from the Yellowstone National Park, and it is the intention 

 of the Commission to make game preserves and bird sanctuaries out 

 of the other reserves as fast as they are brought under management 

 and properly protected from fire. 



In the report of the Forest Service of the United States. Michigan 

 is ranked as first in laws to help the woodlot problem ; first in number 

 of State forests; third in number of acres of forests; third in acres 

 planted, and fifth in size of api)ropriation to carry on the work. This 

 is our rating for 1911, but in the year 1916 you will find Michigan not 

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