RE-FORESTING IN MINNESOTA. 121 



regions of this state. This area is equal to the area of the eight 

 counties consisting of Dakota, Freeborn, Goodhue, Houston, Olm- 

 sted, Steele, Wabasha and Washington, or about the area of the state 

 of Connecticut. If it were properly managed, it could be made to 

 yield a large annual income from the natural increase. The tax 

 payers of the state are directly and deeply concerned in these 

 endowments, for it is important that the state realize as much as 

 possible from these, that as much direct taxation as possible may 

 be avoided. 



There have been no intentional reproductive cuttings of timber in 

 Minnesota. Economy in getting material to the mills has been the 

 onl5^ consideration. In the earliest operations, only the best and 

 most accessible tinaber was cut, and rarely any trees less than twelve 

 inches in diameter were taken. Prior to 1880 few logs less than ten 

 inches in diameter were taken; in 1885-6 stumpage contracts required 

 the taking of every log not less than eight inches in diameter at the 

 small end, sixteen feet long and scaling two-thirds of a full scale. 

 At present w^hen lumbermen are cutting on their own land, nothing 

 is left that would make a log five inches in diameter at the small 

 end and twelve feet long. Cutting so clean leaves very few seeding 

 trees, and these are the defective ones. The saplings left are usually 

 small and few on land that has been well stocked with log timber 

 and has been cut by the owner, but more abundant when scattered 

 among hardwood or cut under contract without close supervision. 



The lumberjnen have studied the question of saving jj^oung trees 

 for future growth but have found the risk of fire too great. When 

 fires are prevented, more young stock will be left in logging; at 

 present, by far the greater portion of the land once logged has merely 

 a growth of brush and stubs among dead trees. Some land is left 

 well stocked after logging. The growth of the stock left on one 

 acre of such land that had been cut in the winter of 1893-4: was esti- 

 mated to find out what had been the rate of growth since the 

 surrounding trees had been cut off. It was found that there was 

 still left on the land enough j^^oung trees to thoroughly stock the 

 land in a few j'^ears. Many of these were tall and had increased 

 considerably faster in vigor since than before the land was logged. 

 It is estimated that in twenty years if this land was protected from 

 fire the timber on it would be worth about $33.00. The present 

 value of this stock on this basis should be about $15.00 per acre, and 

 yet this land is regarded as valueless frotn the fact that it is so liable 

 to fire. Freqviently between the groups of log timber in the forest 

 are areas well stocked with pine not yet large enough to be cut. 

 These are left uncut in logging. One such acre was studied, and it 

 was found that the natural yield on this land in the next twenty 

 years, if protected from fire,would be 34,000 feet, board measure, worth 

 $3.00 per thousand feet on the stump, or $102 per acre. 



There is something incongruous in the fact that at present this 

 land is worth nothing on account of the danger of fire. The state is 

 invited to consider this fact, for this and many other similar tracts 

 are on school and other state lands, and the question should be de- 



