MICHIGAN ROADS AND FORESTS 



advise and instruct people in the care of their 

 is and in furnishing plant stock entirely 

 free of cost. The interest in this work, the 

 good results accomplished and the plans for 

 the future were most interestingly presented 

 and listened to with evident satisfaction. 



Sylvester Strothman described similar work 



dene by the State Forester of Maryland, where 



this year hundreds of square miles were gone 



. mapped and recorded and advice given 



ired. It was quite clear that 



those prefer. t were rather surprised to see 



states like New York, Ohio and Maryland so 



far in the lead in this important work. 



0. M. Evans related his experience in the 

 Appalachian Mountains while working for pri- 

 vate companies. He described the "forest, its 



importance to our people; the rapid re- 

 moval and general destruction of these moun- 

 tain woods, pointing out clearly that under 

 private management there is absolutely no 

 or future for these mountains and their 

 forests, and that a mere waste land condition 

 iiiust be looked for. 



H. C. Clark described the Dartmouth Grant, 

 a large forest property given to this old New 

 England University by the State many years 

 ago. The university now has started active 

 work on forestry principles and it was in this 

 work that Mr. Clark had become familiar with 

 the situation. To the listeners and to the peo- 

 p'le cf Michigan this is a most interesting case, 

 as it points out our owri mistake. With mil- 

 lions of acres of forest at every hand there 

 a single institution, not a town or county, 

 not even the State itself, that has been fore- 

 sighted enough to take and keep such a forest 

 as a business enterprise which should have 

 ;able in the end. 



\Y. 11. Ran -Min described some phases of the 

 work on the National Forests in the Northern 

 Rockies, while L. D. Smith described similar 

 on National Forests in Xew Mexico, 

 illustrating his descriptions by beautiful lan- 

 tern slides. Every one was impressed with 

 the painstaking methods which the United 

 States Forest Service is following to acquire 

 the necessary data for a thoroughly satis- 

 facory, scientific and business-like administra- 

 tion of these forests. 



A few general remarks by Prof. Roth on the 

 woodlot in our State, its importance and pos- 

 sibilities, as well as the obstacles in the way 

 of successful woodlot work, brought the dis- 

 :on of this subject to a close. 



The report of the Committee on Resolutions 

 was then adopted after some discussion. The 

 .tions follow: 



The Resolutions. 



The Michigan Forestry Association is deeply 

 impressed by the fact that our Forests con- 

 tinue to be exploited, devastated and destroyed. 

 That little effort is, as yet, being made to stay 

 this destruction. That the State of Michigan 

 ii to face a very serious economic con- 

 dition when its building material and even 

 much of its fuel must be imported (as enor- 

 quantities are already brought in from 

 other districts), the flo wof its rivers disturbed, 

 agriculture injuriously affected and the beauty 

 of the State largely reduced. At the same time 

 the Association is glad to be able to report: 

 That a good strong sentiment in favor of for- 

 e-try is rapidly spreading: That the authori- 

 ties of the State and notably the Legislature 

 and the Governor have shown an unusual in- 

 in this subject: That the Press of the 

 State almost without exception has exerted 

 ong influence in iavcr of better laws and 

 a clearer understanding of the situation. The 

 Association resolves therefore: 



1. That the hearty thanks of the Michigan 

 Forestry Association are due- to the- Governor 

 of the State, the Legislature, and- notably to 



T. O. Mnxey, of L'Anse, and Hon. j. L. 

 Morrice, of Harbor Springs, who have dis- 

 tinguished themselves by an untiring and un- 

 '-, interest in forestry and in the defense 

 lie interests of the people of our State. 



2. The thanks of the Association are also 



Showing Path of Destructive Fire After Lumbering. 



due to the members of the Michigan Forestry 

 Commissioners who have worked untiringly 

 ai'd unceasingly without expectation of pe r - 

 sonal requitement, in the interests of all the 

 people of the state; and who without fear or 

 have stood for an honest administration 

 of State lands against an extended and covert 

 opposition; and for a definite forest policy 

 based upon the good of all the people for all 

 time and injury of no one who would be sat- 

 isfied with fair investments and reasonable 

 compensation. 



3. The thanks of this Association are also 

 due to the members of the State Press for 

 having so generally and generously cham- 

 pioned the cause of forestry and furthered the 

 interests of the people by demanding a proper 

 disposition and use of our State lands, and 

 better protection and fairer taxation for our 

 forests. 



4. The Association feels deeply indebted to 

 the Federation of Women's Clubs and other 

 organizations of Women who have so persist- 

 ently and efficiently worked for the cause of 

 forestry. 



5. It is the sense of this Association that 

 the law of 1909, providing for a Commission 

 of Public Domain is right in principle and 

 form and that the best of results should 

 follow. This change in public policy and ad- 

 ministration had become necessary; it was war- 

 ranted by the importance of the subject and 

 by the magnitude of the interests involved. 

 The creation of this Commission has been rec- 

 ommended and urged by the Forestry Com- 

 mission since its beginning; it has been re- 

 quested by this Association and by the Com- 

 mission of Inquiry in its report to the legis- 

 lature. This Commission having proper juris- 

 diction over the vast land, forest, water and 

 mineral interests of the State was called for 

 by tlie conditions as pointed out in the Report 

 of the Commission of Inquiry and the Commit- 

 tee on Lands and Forests of the last House 

 of Representatives. It Ts with great satisfac- 

 tion, therefore, that this Association welcomes 

 this new Commission and offers to it the in- 

 fluence and assistance of the Association in its 

 efforts at a satisfactory management of the 

 State Lands and Forests, and in the develop- 

 ment of forestry both State and private, in our 

 Commonwealth. 



6. The Association earnestly requests the 

 legislature to make sufficient appropriation for 

 the Public Domain Commission to enable it 

 to employ a state forester, to assist by advice, 

 instruction, written and vefbal, and by actual 



object lessons in form of sample plantations, 

 nurseries and by every other proper means 

 in the better understanding and in an actual 

 practice of forestry. 



7. The Association does not approve the 

 present system cf state forest fir protection 

 and believes that this work should be done 

 entirely by the Commission of Public Domain 

 and separated from the office of game and fish 

 warden or any other special police department. 



8. The Association earnestly recommends 

 the consideration of legislation on the follow- 

 ing points: 



(a) To compel every owner of forest to 

 cut and use his forest property in a manner 

 which will assure the continuance of the for- 

 est cover, and will not lead to devastation of 

 the forest and to injury of the property of 

 others. 



(b) A satisfactory and fair method of for- 

 est taxation in accordance with the recom- 

 mendations of the Commission of Inquiry; to 

 assess all forest on the farm at the value of 

 the bare land, like the rest of the farm; to 

 tax larger forests, not parts of farms, en a 

 land and harvest tax plan, and to exempt en- 

 tirely for 20 years all forest plantations estab- 

 lished on lands now bare of a forest cover. 



(c) To provide a fund for protection of all 

 forests by collecting a game license, hunting 

 and fishing licenses, and putting these moneys 

 together with all fines from forest trespass, 

 etc., into a fund together. 



(d) Laws to strengthen the hands of the 

 executive officers and the judiciary in case of 

 all trespass on forest property, to make a 

 rigid enforcement of the law compulsory upon 

 all public officials charged with such duties. 



9. The Association thanks the citizens of 

 Jackson, and particularly its Board of Com- 

 merce, for the hospitality and the interest 

 which have been shown the Association and 

 its efforts. 



10. The thanks of the Association are es- 

 pecially due to Mrs. John C. Sharp, whose 

 earnest and efficient work has brought for- 

 estry before the women of our State and their 

 organizations and has done so much for the 

 success of this meeting. 



A well delivered and beautifully illustrated 

 lecture by Prof. E. M. Brigham, of Battle 

 Creek, closed the meeting. In this lecture 

 Professor Brigham carried his audience in a 

 journey up the mighty Amazon, from Para at 

 its mouth, the largest in the world, through 

 2,000 miles of equatorial America to the 

 Andes, and then across this lofty chain, with 



