Slash Burning in Lake States. 29 1 



little brush is left. The chopper is obliged to handle the brush once 

 to get it out of his road and it is little more trouble for him to throw 

 it in a pile than to scatter it all over the woods. Once piled on a 

 clean forest floor it can be burned under favorable weather condi- 

 tions for almost nothing. It would without question pay good re- 

 turns in those regions where the high wood prices of the prairies 

 are obtainable and a market could be worked up for it throughout 

 a great portion of the more eastern territory. It is not necessary 

 that a big profit be obtained. If the cordwood must be sold at cost, 

 or even at a very slight loss, the benefit obtained by the cleaning up 

 of the ground, the great stride made toward fire protection, the as- 

 surance of good regeneration — hence the increased value of the cut- 

 over land — and the employment of that much more labor, are suffi- 

 cient profit. The slash is disposed for practically nothing. Why 

 would it not be a good proposition for the owners of the timber 

 land or even the fire wardens of the diff"erent states ? It would furn- 

 ish to the fire warden a cheap means of fire protection and in many 

 instances a revenue to help out the deficiencies in other places. 



This has never been tried in this region because no one knows 

 anything definite about the amount of wood that would be available 

 on diff"erent types of land, the cost of transportation to the differ- 

 ent markets or what the possibilities of the diff"erent markets are. 

 The plan has been tried and worked in the Black Hills Reserve, but 

 the conditions there are unique and so diff"erent from those existing 

 in this region that results can not be predicted from experience 

 there. *Some study and investigation is necessary to get anything 

 like an accurate estimate of the results. A comparatively small 

 amount of work would furnish the data to settle the question of 

 practicability ; but who is to do that work ? The Forest Service, 

 which is best equipped to carry on the work and best able to bring 

 the matter forcibly before the parties concerned, has not grasped 

 the importance of the subject or given it any attention. It would 

 seem to be up to the individual States to look up the matter for them- 

 selves, though the problem affects such a large area that it would 

 seem to rightly belong to the National Service. 



This question is in my opinion, the most important forestry prob- 

 lem in this region today, insuring, as it does, if a few seed trees are 

 left, the restocking of the land with valuable species. Coupled with 

 a lower rate of taxation on timber lands, which is bound to come, it 

 would induce many owners to hold onto their forest lands and care 

 for them with a view to their future value. 



E. G. Cheney. 



