EXPERIMENT STATION BULLETINS. 45S 



THE MICHIGAN WOODLOT. 



FARM FORESTRY. 



Circular No. 17. 



The area of the average Michigan woodlot is 14.14 acres or 15% of 

 the area of the average farm in the state, which is 91.5 acres. The best 

 authorities have considered that a forest area of at least 20% should be 

 maintained to exert a favorable influence on climate and to supply 

 market demands. 



The scope of fann forestry is several fold, including the following, viz : 

 Economic maintenance of the wooded areas on the farm which are al- 

 ready in good condition, until such time as the increased price of land 

 makes a more intensive use advisable; location of new forest areas in 

 the form of windbreaks and shelter belts so that not only the wood yield 

 can be considered when figuring returns, but also the value of the growth 

 as a shelter and for its aesthetic importance to the general farm sur- 

 roundings. Still another activity may be the planting to prevent erosion 

 and land slides on steep hillsides where the object is soil retention. 

 Special phases of farm forestry may be indulged in where conditions 

 are favorable and larger returns made than can be hoped for on original 

 woodlots and plantations, i. e., Christmas trefe nurseries and basket 

 willow holts. 



PRESENT CONDITION OP WOODLOTS. 



Deplorable conditions, in many instances, exist in the old woodlots, 

 the last remnants of the virgin forests in the southern part of the state. 

 In most cases, they are composed of a wide mixture of species, mostly of 

 mature individuals rapidly decreasing in value. No attention has been 

 paid to the efforts of the forest to reproduce itself; pasturing has been 

 carried on indiscriminately and the young growth has been browsed and 

 trampled out. Wind and excess of sunlight have been admitted by 

 cutting the first trees at hand when needed, with no thought of regula- 

 tion. 



In striking contrast with these conditions, are those fo.und in the best 

 type of virgin forest. The wind and excess light are retarded by an 

 almost complete crown cover aided by the growth of low, well-leaved 

 branches on the extreme boundaries of the forested area where sunlight 

 is abundant. Under these conditions, the forest floor was formed. The 

 leaves which ripened each season were not blown away but fell gently to 

 the ground under the trees which bore them. Yearly, more leaves, needles 

 and twigs were added, until a heavy covering of forest litter was formed, 

 which held the moisture from melting snows and summer rains. Millions 

 of tree seeds were deposited each season in the moist bed of low, slowly 

 changing temperature. These seeds remained dormant but vital for long 

 periods, no one knows how long. When sunlight was admitted by 



