MICHIGAN ROADS AND FORESTS 



MICHIGAN FORESTRY ASSOCIATION. 



The Michigan Forestry Association was organized in Grand Rapids August 30, 1905, having for its object the promotion of a ra- 

 tional system of forestry in Michigan. The society is managed by the following roster of officers: President, Hon. Chas. W. Garfield, of Grand 

 Rapids; Vice-President, John H. Bissell, of Detroit; Secretary, Filibert Roth, of Ann Arbor; Assistant Secretary, Henry G. Stevens, Detroit; 

 Treasurer, W. B. Mershon, Saginaw, W. S. Board of Directors Hon. J. E. Beal, Ann Arbor ; J. J. Hubbell, Manistee ; Mrs. Lena E. Mautner, 

 Saginaw; Prof. James Satterlee, Lansing; Fremont E. Skeels, Cadillac; W. E. Williams, Pittsford; Dr. Lucius L. Hubbard, Houghton; Mrs. 

 John C. Sharp, Jackson. 



THE SECRETARY'S CORNER. 



REFORESTING IN MAINE. 



At Phillips. Me., 150,000 three-year-old 

 spruce trees from Norway have been planted 

 by the International Paper Company. The 

 intention is t.j build up a forest that in years 

 tu come *vill be the source of paper supply for 

 Host. HI and Xew York newspapers. 



Last year. 10,000 of these trees were plant- 

 ed on an eight-acre strip of land. They have 

 taken to their new soil and surroundings won- 

 derfully, and have thriven beyond all expec- 

 tations. So great has been their progress that 

 little doubt is felt of the success of the experi- 

 ment, and 1 the company no longer hesitates 

 about going into the work of reforestation on 

 a larger scale, and the present work is only 

 a start compared to the extensive work of this 

 kind which is contemplated for the future. 



This is the first attempt of the kind in Xew 

 England. Should the success that seems like- 

 ly result from the work in Maine it will be 

 extended to other states of suitable tempera- 

 ture and climatic conditions. The importance 

 and value of the work can hardly be realized. 

 There is so much valueless unoccupied land 

 in Maine alone that artificial fcrests of great 

 magnitude can be cultivated without encroach- 

 ing upon civilization, and the amount of wealth 

 that may and undoubtedly will be added to the 

 wild lands and abandoned farms in Maine 

 alone is difficult to estimate. 



The trees are set out six feet apart in each 

 direction, and thus about 1,200 trees are plant- 

 ed to the acre. 



class upon its reassembling at the college next 

 September. In this way members of the class 

 will become familiar with practically every 

 class of conditions west cf the Mississippi 

 river. 



A GIANT ELM. 



While boasting o'f our miles of maples that 

 line the streets of Paw Paw, a word about 

 the graceful elm will not be out of place. 

 There is a plume-crested elm in the rear of 

 the True Northerner office, which many peo- 

 ple have never noticed, and which goes to 

 show that in the abundance many small mat- 

 ters are < verlooked. This giant elm is ten 

 feet and four inches in circumference, four 

 feet from tlie ground, and has a spread of 

 seventy-live feet. Had this tree been in a 

 city less favored with shade, it would have 

 taken its place with the Charter ( )ak and other 

 noted trees in history. Paw Paw True 

 Northerner. 



WORK FOR FORESTRY STUDENTS. 



There will be a general exodus of junior 

 forestry students to the western national for- 

 ests at the close of the Michigan Agricultural 

 col'ege next June. Prof. J. Fred Baker, head 

 of the Forestry Department at Michigan Agri- 

 cultural College, having secured appointments 

 for every forestry student who will take senior 

 work next year. This is the first time that 

 -ucb a large number of forestry students fr< m 

 Michigan Agricultural College have been sent 

 upon the western ranges to secure some prac- 

 tical experience in forest methods. There will 

 be at least twenty-three junior.-, who will re- 

 port for duty in various parts of the western 

 United States, July 1. It has been Prof. 

 Baker's plan to scatter the class over as large 

 an area as possible in ( rder that the maximum 

 variety of conditions may be studied by mem- 

 bers of the class. Kach student will study 

 the conditions that he meets with in his loca- 

 tion and will make a report before the entire 



SAVED THE SHADE TREES. 



The residents of F.ast Second and West 

 Second street, Flint, protested so vigorously 

 against the destruction .,f shade trees on those 

 thoroughfares which would result from pav- 

 ing the streets the width decided upon, that 

 the council has rescinded its action. 



The width of the pavements will be such 

 as to not interfere with the trees. 



MORE NATIONAL FOREST. 



Sixty million feet of merchantable timber 

 have been added to the national forest in Xew 

 Mexico, and nearly a hundred thousand acres 

 cf arable land will be thrown open to settle- 

 ment by a proclamation which President Taft 

 signed. 



' It re-classities forests and adds more than 

 183,000 acres of wooded lands to the national 

 forest domain. The mining camp of Fluorine 

 in the forest is now classified in the home- 

 stead lands. All the lands restored will be 

 thrown < pen to settlement by act of the sec- 

 retary of the interior later. 



WOULD REFOREST STATE LANDS. 



Robert II. Rayburn, a prominent Alpena 

 county resident, has written the state public 

 doman commission, asking that he be allowed 

 to take several thousand acres of land, ad- 

 joining several acres which he already owns, 

 and reforest the land on contract. 



Carton's scheme is to let residents in the 

 northern ccuntios who have lands adjoining 

 stale lands reforest the latter and the state 

 pay the taxes while the reforestation is going 

 on. Then when the trees reach an age where 

 lumbering operations can be begun he pro- 

 poses the state be reimbursed for the taxes 

 and interest and allowed so much per acre 

 for the lands, at the same time receiving a 

 percentage of the timber cut from them. 



Carton is of the impression that by reforest- 

 ing with white poplar trees that attain a 

 growth in 15 years, the state and communities 

 will be money ahead in the enterprise. 



Rayburn has already planted several thous- 

 and trees on his own land which are now- 

 reaching the age of maturity, and it is thought 

 that if the scheme looks feasible, the commis- 

 sion will authori/e him to go on with the 

 work on state lands. 



By interesting the people of the north in 

 this enterprise, protection from fire will be 

 better obtained and the people will in general, 

 take a much more decided interest in the work 

 of protecting the forests. 



An. ther subject that will be given attention 

 is the fact that many people are making appli- 

 cation to the state department to be allowed 

 to go on state lands, clear them up, put them 

 in a state of cultivation and after raising 

 enough crops to put them on easy street, be 

 allowed to buy the land at the purchase price 

 originally asked by the state, before the im- 

 I>r vements were completed, and also paying 

 all back taxes to the state, incurred while the 

 work of improvement was going ml Mi- Car- 

 ton thinks that this scheme will also 'work 

 out all right and that many farmers can obtain 

 a line farm home, by being given a chance 

 in this way. 



MICHIGAN'S FOREST RESERVES. 



Michigan's forestry reserves would today 

 make a strip one mile wide and 20 miles long, 

 which is pretty nearly the distance from De- 

 troit to New York. 



Specificially, there are 406,447 acres, of 

 which 377,641 are under state supervision, and 

 the remaining 28,806 acres, of which 377,641 

 are under state supervision, and the remaining 

 28,806 acres belong to the federal government, 

 being in charge of the forestry bureau. 



Since the public domain ccmmission, which 

 comprises the auditor-general, land commis- 

 sioner, secretary of state, one of the university 

 regents, one member of the agricultural col- 

 lege board and one member of the college of 

 mines board was created one year ago, there 

 has been added to the state reserves 210,000 

 acres. The 377,641 acres are in 55 of the 84 

 counties. The 55 and the number of acres in 

 each are: 



Algoma, 28,248; Alger. 1,920; Alpena, 2,677; 

 Antrim, 160; Arenac, 1,000; Bay, 160; Benie, 

 187; Berrien. 97; Charlevoix, 1,315; Cheboy- 

 gan, 5,520; Chippewa, 37.125; Clare, 254; Craw- 

 ford, 9,517: Delta, 2,517; Dickinson, 1,360; Em- 

 met. 2.488; Glad win, 320; Gogebic, 160; Grand 

 Traverse, 1,960; Gratiot. 80; Houghton, 1,193; 

 Huron. 80; losco, 96,251; Iron, 996; Isabella 

 461; Kalkaska, 5.375; Kent. 40; Lake, 240; La- 

 peer, 160; Leelanau. 278; Luce, 38,387; Macki- 

 nac, 5.49!i: Manistee, 400; Marquette. 6,801; 

 Mason, 640; Mecosta, 80; Menominee. 200; 

 Midland. 1.833: Missaukee, 2,189; Montcalm, 

 87; Montmcrency, 9,937; Muskegon, 490; Ne- 

 waygo, 320; Oceana, 80; Ogemaw, 7,848; On- 

 tonagon, 1.120; Osceola, 1.914; Oscoda, 56,438; 

 Otsego, 3,876; Presque Isle, 7,484; Roscom- 

 mon, 46.789; Saginaw, 237; Schoolcraft, 680: 

 Wexford, 7,064 



Of the United States forestry reserves of 

 28,806 acres, 15,368 are in Osceola county, 

 11.3.13 iii losco, 1,880 in Chippewa. and 203 in 

 Alcona. There are scattered sections of gov- 

 ernment land in some of the state forestry re- 

 serves, while on the other hand the state owns 

 land which would fit in better as a part of a 

 federal reserve rather than be managed as 

 a small state reservation. 



To remedy these conditions Congressman 

 Young has introduced a bill in congress, and 

 one will be introduced in the legislature next 

 winter, authorizing the Michigan public do- 

 main commission and the federal bureau of 

 forestry to trade forestry land so that a per- 

 manent condition will not be created whereby 

 there would be the expense of maintaining a 

 state reserve in the same section that the fed- 

 eral bureau maintains one, and vice versa 



TO FIGHT FOREST FIRES. 



The state forester of Massachusetts recently 

 inaugurated a vigorous campaign for the pre- 

 vention of forest fires. In connection there- 

 with he has had a wagon for fighting the fires 

 built under his supervision which is the first 

 wagon ever constructed for this express pur- 

 pose. Popular Mechanics for June contain* a 

 picture of this wagon. The rear wheels are 

 large and equipped with wide tires, while the 

 front wheels are small, so as to allow turning 

 in narrow places. The body is very much on 

 the order of the ordinary chemical engine 

 with side-rails and extinguishers. The equip- 

 ment includes shovels, axes, rakes, lantern!) 

 and buckets. 



