MICHIGAN ROADS AND FORESTS 



Professor Roth Discusses United States Forest 

 Service Report 



The terrible lire losses of last summer, the 

 utter indifference of the state officials ivith 

 regard to these losses, and the general desire 

 of the people for reliable information regard- 

 ing this situation and the possible remedies, 

 induced the State Forestry Commission to ask 

 the United States Forest Service for the neces- 

 sary help to make an investigation. This work 

 was done as a co-operative enterprise, the 

 State Forestry Commission contributing part 

 of the expenses. 



Two men, Mr. Wesley Bradfield, native of 

 Michigan, graduate of Alma and the Univer- 

 sity of Michigan, a trained forester, and Mr. 

 Athol Wynee, a Wisconsin lumberman, car- 

 ried on this work. They went from county 

 to county, conferring with the people of each 

 locality, and checked as far as possible all in- 

 formation thus gathered by actual observa- 

 tion and investigation on the ground. They 

 devoted the greater part of the fall of 1908 to 

 this work. 



The following are the principal results re- 

 ported by the United States Forest Service: 



1. The Fire Losses. After reciting the 

 present fire law, the report states that the 

 entire situation was sadly neglected, and that 

 "most of the supervisors either were totally 

 ignorant of their duties under the law or com- 

 pletely ignored them." The supervisors were 

 not instructed; they were not compelled by 

 the State Game and Fire Warden, as was his 

 duty and power under the law; and that evi- 

 dently the whole business was mismanaged in 

 every county, and in almost every town in 

 northern Michigan. It also states that the 

 people themselves, especially the settlers, lum- 

 bermen and others, did not make a reasonable 

 effort, and espec'ally that the efforts made 

 came altogether too late to be of much value. 

 The actual losses suffered by the state arc 

 classified thus: 



The total area of lands north of T. :2(i 

 whiich was run over by fire last summer 

 amounts to about seven million acres, or 

 nearly 40 per cent of the north half of the 

 state. Two millions of this is actually tini- 

 berlands, forming about 34 per cent of all tim- 

 berlands of that part of the state, and about 

 five million acres is cutover lands. These 

 latter form about 45 per cent of all the cut- 

 over lands of the state. 



In the upper peninsula about 8 per cent, 

 and in the lower peninsula (north of T. 20) 

 over 20 per cent of the standing timber was 

 killed by fire. Over six million dollars worth 

 of timber was utterly destroyed, and the rest 

 was injured by o\ er ten million dollars worth, 

 fully 35 per cent of the amount being lost by 

 fire injury. 



In addition to the above the report esti- 

 mates a loss of over six million dollars for 

 smaller stuff cedar, tamarack, poplar._ oak, 

 etc. not really counted in the saw timber. 

 A loss of over $600,000 was sustained in the 

 burning of logs and other timber products; 

 .over $500,000 in hemlock bark, and over $500,- 

 000 in buildings and other personal property. 

 TYi addition, it is estimated that the extra 

 expense which the people must incur to save 

 the injured timber will amount to four million 

 dollars. Thus, the direct or immediate losses 

 in money and merchantable stuff run up to 

 about $28.500,000, while the loss due to the 

 burning of the small trees, which would and 

 should make our future forests, is estimated 

 at nearly sixteen million dollars. 



Michigan has certainly paid for her lesson: 

 About forty-five million dollars, besides half 

 a hundred human lives and the agony that 

 thousands suffered for months. 



The Forest Service fully sustains the report 

 of the Commission of Inquiry in its recom- 

 mendations for better fire protection. 



2. Relation of Agricultural and Forest 

 Lands. Under this head comparisons are 

 made and an interesting table is presented in- 

 volving all of the state north of T. 20. 



>ho\vs that the area of improved land in I!IO-I 

 was only about i; per senl. Also that for this 

 entire area at best only about half is adapted 

 to cukivation. 



In discussing <tatc tax lands and "tax home- 

 stead" land.s, as they are technically di 

 lated, the report confirms that of the [ 

 mission of Inquiry on every point. It points 

 nit the inferior character of these lands, the 

 preserrt c >stly and \\a-.teful method of hand- 

 ing them, the great losses which the state 

 has suffered in disposing of them under the 

 present law, and the desirability of a radical 

 change in the state's policj and of establish- 

 ing most of these lands as state forests. 



3. (ieneral Forest Conditions. The United 

 States Forest Service estimates that in the 

 north half of the state (north of T. 20) about 

 one-third of all land, or nearly .six million 

 acres, is still forest, with an estimated stand 



thirty-live billion feet of timber. Of this 

 stand about 1,600,000 acres, with about eleven 

 billion feet, is credited to the lower peninsula. 

 the rest to the upper. The cut-over lands 

 make about (>5 per cent of all land in the 

 lower peninsula (north of T. 20). These cut- 

 over lands for both peninsulas are estimated 

 at about 10,800,000 acres, or over 60 per cent 

 of all lands. Of these lands about two-thirds 

 s reported as restocking. (But, of course. 

 practically half of these lands were burned 

 >ver last summer.) Interesting is the fact 

 that these cut-over, waste lands in some coun- 

 ties make up over 80 per cent of all land, 

 though less than 5 per cent in the whole 

 county is actually used as farm land. 



4. The lumber industry cuts the forests at 

 the rate of about 300,000 acres per year, thus 

 taking an area nearly 'as large as a standard 

 county for each year's cut. 



.">. Recommendations Made by the United 

 States Forest Service: 



(1) All state lands should be withdrawn. 

 classified into agricultural and forest lands and 

 the larger tracts reserved for state forest 

 reserves. 



(:i) The management of the public lands 

 should be entrusted to a non-political com- 

 mission. 



(3) This commission should have a regular 

 slate forester to carry out the work. 



(4) There should be a thorough revision of 

 the forest fire laws. 



(5) The stale and timber land owners 

 should co-operate in the development and pro- 

 tection of forest lauds. 



(i!) The taxation of all forest lands (cut- 

 over land.s included) should be on a "definite. 

 equitable basis." The method recommended 

 is this: (a) A yearly lax on the land alone. 

 and, in addition, (b) a harvest tax of III pel- 

 cent on the stumpage value of the timber 

 whenever any timber is cut. 



For all woodlots connected with farms it 

 is recommended that only the land be taxed 

 just as in the case of cither parts of the farm 

 lands. 



It is a matter of great pleasure to all right- 

 minded and patriotic citizens that the legis- 

 lature of Michigan in its present session ( I'.ios 

 and 1909) has already started in the right di- 

 rection. Under the excellent leadership of 

 Hon. James L. Morrice. of Harbor Springs. 

 and of John O. Maxey, of L'Anse, the legis- 

 lature has by joint resolution, and after that 

 by the passage of a regular bill, withdrawn 

 all state lands from sale until the matter of 

 a proper policy and, management can be de- 

 cided upon. 



PUTS PUBLIC LANDS IN NEW HANDS. 



Practically in keeping with the recommenda- 

 tion of the special commission of forestry 

 inquiry is the bill for a public domain com- 

 mission in Michigan, introduced in the house 

 by Representative Charles ['"lowers, of De- 

 troit, chairman of the judicial committee. 



The bill puts all state lauds now in the 

 hands of the auditor general and state land 

 commission into the control of the proposed 

 commission, subject to a condition which pro- 



vides that sufficient state land shall be re- 

 served and turned over to the forestry com- 

 mission for purposes of reforestation. The 

 bill fixes .100.000 acres as the minimum of 

 land for forestry, the public domain must al- 

 ways set aside at least this number of acres. 



The proposed commission is to be composed 

 of the auditor general, land commissioner, at- 

 torney general, member of board of regents 

 and board of agriculture, to be appointed by 

 the governor. The governor is made a mem- 

 -. -ol'iicii i, 



The bill takes from the state game warden 

 all the jurisdiction and duties of tire warden. 

 placing this department under that of public 

 domain. 



The bill reserves forever all mineral rights 

 in state lands, and provides that mining opera- 

 tions on this character of public lands shall 

 be carried on on a basis of royalty to the 

 state for all ores taken. An appropriation 

 of $10,0011 for the inauguration of the public 

 domain commission is provided for, but the 

 bill also indicates that this sum must be paid 

 back into the general fund from the sale of 

 state lands. 



It will be seen that about all the designs of 

 the special commission of inquiry are carried 

 out. The game warden's department is not 

 included as in the recommendation, but aside 

 from that the effect is almost the same. 'Fin- 

 land commissioner becomes an official of the 

 commission and there is the office of chief 

 lire warden. That the reforestation figure is 

 not forgotten is evident from the fact thai 

 .IIMI.OOO acres, more than half of all the state 

 lands, must be set aside for the state forestry 

 commission. 



FIRES STARTED FOR SPITE. 



In his annual report. Deputy Game and For- 

 est Warden \V. O. Frost, of Munising, esti- 

 mates that forest fires in Alger county last 

 summer occasioned $G,<>00 loss, exclusive oi 

 the damage to standing timber, and $3.5119 

 was expended in lighting the flames. The 

 total acreage burned over is placed at 2H.220. 

 Deputy Frost refers to the fact that the se- 

 vere frost early in September killed many 

 ferns, brakes and .grass and caused leaves to 

 fall, making the conditions favorable to the 

 spread of the fires. F'.ngine sparks, he says. 

 \\ere responsible for some of the lires, and 

 others were caused by "pig-headed" persons 

 while clearing land. Some, too, he asserts 

 were started for spite and others by drunken 

 lumberjacks and 'hunters and berry pickers. 

 Concluding, he says: "Carelessness has been 

 the chief cause of the greater number of fires, 

 many people thinking as long as their own 

 personal property was not at stake there was 

 no reason to trouble their minds about lire." 



MORE FOREST RESERVES. 



Among the last official acts of President 

 Roosevelt was the signing of proclamations 

 creating additions to national forests in Ne- 

 vada. South Dakota. California. Xew Mexico 

 and Arizona, aggregating 4.9sn.73i'> acres. This 

 new forest land brings the total national forest 

 area up to l9.1,oi:t.9M) acres. 



The national forests which have been en- 

 larged and the size of the additions arc as 

 follows: Lincoln national forest. Xew Mexico. 

 SI, 1ST acres; Alamo national forest. Xew Mex- 

 ico, 348,211 acres; Carson national forest, Xew 

 Mexico, 399.0(10 acres; Apache national forest, 

 Arizona, 438,000 acres; Sitgreaves national for- 

 est. Arizona, 21,280 acres: Zuni national for- 

 est. Xew Mexico. (170. 9S1 acres; Tahoe na- 

 tional forest, California and Nevada. 338,470 

 acres; Mono national forest. Nevada and Cali- 

 fornia, iisi).;,s() acres; Sequoia national forest, 

 California. r.'s.H'.o acres; l.assen national for- 

 est, California, .117.794 acres; Trinity national 

 forest. California. Sl.sno acres; Shasta na- 

 tional forest, California, ">(!?'. (ITS acres, and 

 Flnmas national forest, California, 52,895 

 acres. 



