THE NEXT STEP IN FORESTRY IN MICHIGAN. 47 



THE NEXT STEP IN FORESTRY IN MICHIGAN. 



FILIBERT ROTH. 



The needs of doing something, to conserve and replace onr diminishing 

 sup})lies of timber have been clearly- set forth by Mr. Bissell in his 

 admirable outline of the history of the lumber business in Michigan, 

 its magnitude, its importance, its ])resent decline. We have learned that 

 of all the capital employed in Michigan in lumbering in 1890, fully 

 one-half had left the State by lOOO and that the cut, of course, was 

 proportionate in amount, to say nothing' of its quality. We see at every 

 hand the signs of shortage in a good home sup])ly at reasonable figures. 

 We meet the redwood and the cedar from the Pacific coast, side by 

 side with North Carolina pine and Louisiana cypress, filling our lumber 

 yards, and we realize that even today this State is paying an enormous 

 sum ever}' year for a commodity, nay necessity, of which there ought 

 to be plenty in our own State for all times to come. 



The matter is no longer subject of controversy and the only question 

 now is: What can we do? The answer is: Conserve by right use and 

 protection the little we have left, and replace the supply by protecting 

 the gTOwing stutf in our woods and on our wastelands, and by judicious 

 reforestation wherever practicable. 



The conservation of remaining sup])lies is out of the hands of the 

 State as a body politic. The forest is owned by private people and they 

 cut as they please. High prices stimulate cutting; rise in prices en- 

 courages holding and protecting. 



In the matter of growing timber, we may divide our forests into 

 farmers' forest and the wild lands. Dr. Clark and Prof. Davis tell us 

 of the farmers' lands. 



The case of the wild lands is distinct ; the restoration of the forest 

 is a business, a long time investment, with little of speculation and much 

 affected by taxation and the possibility of protection against fire and 

 trespass. Work in this direction will come, but it can not be forced, 

 though it can be encouraged. But part of this wild land problem can 

 be and should be solved by the State. The State is the largest holder 

 of lands where reforestation is possible and necessary. The State holds 

 about six million acres of tax-title lands, i. e., one-sixth of the entire 

 land area of the State is ^'in soak" for taxes. For years the State has 

 pursued the liberal policy of offering the lands for taxes or for purchase 

 at very low rates, the minimum price to be "discretionary with" the 

 officers in charge. That this policy does not meet with great success is 

 evidenced by the fact that the lands are still unsettled. Nor is this 

 policy without considerable expense. In five years the State expended 

 about 1800,000 in advertising and in handling these lands, without de- 

 voting any of these funds to protecting the land against fire or in any 

 improvement. 



At last the State has adopted a new policy and it has reserved a 

 couple of townships of land as "forest reserve" and placed them in care 

 of the State Forest Commission and provided for their protection and 



