MICHIGAN ROADS AND FORESTS. 



Official Org.n of The Michigan Rod Maker* At* 

 SUITE 1406 MAJESTIC BUILDING 



and Michjgwi Forwlry Aisodalioo 

 DtTROIT. MICHIGAN 



PUBLISHED EVERY MONTH 



BY 

 THE STATE REVIEW PUBLISHING CO., 



SUBSCRIPTION: ONE DOLLAR A YEAR, 

 PAYABLE IN ADVANCE. 



dress of welcome, his letter of regret being read 

 by President Bissell. The president also read 

 the following letter from Gov. Warner: 



Praise for Mr. Garfield. 



"I am writing to acknowledge receipt of your 

 esteemed favor of October 22nd, extending on 

 behalf of the officers and members of the Asso- 

 ciation a very cordal invitation to attend the 

 annual meeting on November 12th and 13th. I 

 regret very much to state that other engagements 

 make it impossible for me to be in Saginaw at 

 that time. 



"I am very glad, indeed, to learn that the 

 meeting of the Association will be attended by 

 the representatives of forestry interests of our 

 neighboring states and Canada. There are cer- 

 tainly evidences of an awakened interest in the 

 work of the association and every good citizen 

 of Michigan should aid in carrying on the work. 



"While recognizing the good work of all those 

 connected with the State Forestry Commission 

 and your association, I may be pardoned for a 

 reference to the untiring work and enthusiasm 

 of Hon. Charles W. Garfield, of Grand Rapids. 

 In him the forestry interests of Michigan have a 

 most valued friend. Such services as he has 

 rendered could not be purchased and the state is 

 to be congratulated that we have such a citizen 

 among us. 



"With my own best wishes for the success of 

 the association, I remain, 



"Very truly yours, 



"FRED M. WARNER. 



"Governor." 



President's Annual Address. 



President Bissell next read his annual ad- 

 -dress, which follows : 



ig another year of the Michigan For- 

 on's work, it is well to consider, 

 very briefly : 



' the association was organized to ac- 



2. Wiiat it has done of the work so laid out; 

 and 



3. To take some account of the extent and 

 character of the work ahead. 



The Association's Purpose. 



The declared object of the association is, "The 

 promotion of a rational and practical system of 

 forestry in Michigan, recognizing it as a most im- 

 portant branch of agriculture." 



And, toward the accomplishment of this gen- 

 eral object, it was pledged to secure : 



(a) Modification of the laws of this state to 

 enable the holding and replanting of forest lands. 

 the encouragement of conservative management of 

 farm forests and the re-stocking of denuded lands. 



(b) The revision and improvement of the laws 

 for the protection of forest property against fire 

 and trespass. 



(c) Modification of the laws dealing with the 

 disposition and management of all state lands, so 

 that correct principles of forestry may be applied 

 by the state to all wooded areas not distinctly 

 agricultural. 



(d) The extension of the work of the For- 



estry Commission, its equipment with ample 

 means for the education of the people, in order 

 that the people themselves shall enter into the 

 work of forestry. 



(e) The establishment and perpetuation of a 

 general system of farm forestry throughout the 

 agricultural portions of the state. 



(f) To act in harmony at all times with the 

 American Forestry Association and the National 

 Forest Service. 



It is well to keep this admirable statement of 

 the association's objects clearly in view. 



What the Association Has Done. 



To carry out its purpose the association must 

 extend its membership so as to reach and influ- 

 ence a large number of persons in the state 

 that is to create a wholesome public opinion on 

 forestry. 



The membership is approximately six hundred, 

 including about twenty sustaining memberships, 

 The officers of the association have been disap- 

 pointed in the small number of members secured 

 as compared with our expectations in August, 

 1905. Let us remember, however, that the mem- 

 bership list is not by any means a complete or 

 the only test of membership. I wish especially 

 to call attention to the fact that the failure to 

 secure members is not the fault af the Com- 

 mittee on Membership and Publicity, but rather 

 of the inadequate measures put into operation 

 by the association itself. The chairman of that 

 committee has worked zealously and efficiently, 

 mainly without very much co-operation from the 

 other committeemen ; and has been successful in 

 organizing some local committees, with good 

 results. The membership of the association can 

 not reach the numbers which ought to be en- 

 rolled without having a paid agent, working 

 under the secretary, devoting his or her entire 

 time to the business of the association, in order 

 to secure the best results in active membership, 

 as well as enlarging the lists of sustaining mem- 

 berships. 



The dues of the active members should fur- 

 nish money enough to provide for the circulation 

 of the association's organ, and other literature 

 available from time to time ; and the sustain- 

 ing member's fees, all other necessary current ex- 

 penses of the association, and of its officers in 

 prosecuting the association's work. 



The further work of the association has been 

 providing an organ or mouth-pece, through which 

 to -reach its members, and, we have hoped, a 

 larger audience outside. For more than a year 

 this was done through the "State Review," pub- 

 lished at Grand Rapids. The work of that 

 magazine, in fulfillment of its contract with the 

 association, was quite satisfactory. Besides the 

 paper, which went regularly to the members of 

 the association, we were able, through the very 

 generous assistance of the State Forestry Com- 

 mission, to supply to our members some valuable 

 pamphlets, on general forestry themes, which 

 were published and given to the association by 

 the Commission. 



Early this year the "State Review" was pur- 

 chased by the Michigan Investor Company, of 

 Detroit, and put into a new form under the 

 title of "Michigan Roads and Forests"; and has 

 since been issued as a monthly magazine in the 

 joint interests of the Michigan Roadmakers' As- 

 sociation and the Michigan Forestry Associa- 

 tion. Its editor has rendered excellent service, 

 not only in the publication of very interesting 

 articles on the subject of forestry, but, also, by 

 securing the publication of many such articles in 

 country newspapers throughout the state. The 

 value of spreading information in that way, you 

 will readily recognize. 



There is one source of most efficient help to 

 the work of the association, which ought to be 

 cultivated wherever the Opportunity exists. I re- 

 fer to local organizations of manufacturers, mer- 

 chants and professional men found in many of 

 our cities. This suggestion comes from great 

 service rendered to the cause of forestry by the 

 Detroit Board of Commerce. 



One of the most capable and zealous members 

 of the association, being interested in the work of 

 the Detroit Board of Commerce, was quick to 



recognize the assistance which such a body could 

 render. The subject was brought to the attention 

 of the directors of the Board of Commerce, with 

 the result that the commitee on legislation of that 

 board had a number of hearings on the condi- 

 tion of the state-tax lands and the state's policy 

 respecting them. A very extended, pertinent and 

 able report of its committee was considered at a 

 general, well attended meeting of the Board of 

 Commerce ; and was afterwards printed and cir- 

 culated extensively. 



In my judgment, more work for the cause of 

 forestry has been done in the City of Detroit and 

 Wayne County by the Detroit Board of Com- 

 merce than by this association. To some extent, 

 the details of which I am not familiar with, the 

 Grand Rapids Board of Trade has assisted. The 

 last annual meeting of this association was held 

 in the rooms of that body, and as its guests. 

 These municipal organizations, wherever they ex- 

 ist in the state, should have their attention forci- 

 bly drawn to the importance, as well as to the 

 public character of the work the forestry associa- 

 tion is undertaking; and, where proper represen- 

 tations are made, we are sure to get more or 

 less definite assistance from such bodies. 



Before leaving this branch of the subject, I 

 wish to bring to your notice the fact that the 

 association has received generous and valuable 

 aid from women's clubs and their State Federa- 

 tion. They have not only circulated literature on 

 forestry subjects, but have held meetings with 

 addresses and had discussions which have been 

 helpful to our cause. 



At the annual gatherings of the Granges of this 

 state, wood-lot forestry has been recognized as of 

 importance to the farmers, and through the. able 

 efforts of one of the association's directors, the 

 subject has had fair consideration at meetings of 

 The State Grange, which has adopted suitable 

 resolutions upon the subject. 



What of the Work Ahead? 



One of the great obstacles, which this asso- 

 ciation has to meet and deal with, is the dense 

 ignorance of a large proportion of our people as 

 to the facts about our state lands, and the for- 

 est problems, generally, and our absolute lack 

 heretofore of a state policy with respect to them. 

 The dreadful inertia of our electorate, the nat- 

 ural result of this ignorance, must be overcome 

 before any legislation, at all adequate to remedy 

 the existing conditions, can be procured from the 

 state legislature. It is not only necessary to dis- 

 pel the ignorance, but it is equally important, 

 likewise, to give proper tone and direction to 

 public opinion, that it may demand the enactment 

 of adequate laws respecting these subjects. 



The association must bring home to the great 

 body of the electorate of the state, the facts con- 

 stituting the present conditoin of state land af- 

 fairs, as well as some appreciation of what can be 

 accomplished in remedying those conditions, by 

 establishing an affirmative, rational and decent 

 treatment of the state's rights, and the people's 

 rights in what must constitute a great public 

 domain ; and the wholesome application of a cor- 

 rect, permanent state policy which will enure to 

 the advantage of our children. Such a policy will 

 prevent any further disgraceful waste, not only 

 of money raised by taxation, but what has been 

 far worse, waste of the opportunities, during the 

 past thirty years, to re-establish the forests, both 

 public and private, for the future income of the 

 state and the welfare of its people. 



Does not this show plainly enough the work 

 lying before the Forestry Association? 



It is fairly to be presumed that the Commis- 

 sion of Inquiry will make a thorough and sys- 

 tematic study, so far as time permits, of all of the 

 present conditions, as well as of the remedies 

 to be applied. But, in order to secure such 

 action on the part of the state authorities, as 

 will make adequate use of the suggestions sub- 

 mitted by the Commission, in its reports, it is 

 still necessary to arouse public sentiment to 

 make insistent demands upon the legislature, for 

 affirmative action according with the recommen- 

 dations of that Commission. 



We must inform the electorate that the theory 

 upon which the State Government has, ever since 

 its existence, dealt with the public lands treat- 



