MICHIGAN ROADS AND FORESTS. 





vice; Dr. Geo. Burns, Ann Arbor; H. N. Loud, 

 Au Sable; Dr. J. W. Beal, Lansing; Charles 

 W. Ward, DeWard; Chas. E. Barnes, Battle 

 Creek ; E. M. Brigham, Battle Creek, and others. 



Ofitu! Organ ol The Michigan Road Makft. Attociaoon and Michigan Fwwtiy Awocwlwo 

 SUITE 1406 MAJESTIC BUILDING DLTROIT. MICHIGAN 



Frank E. Carter Editor 



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FORESTRY ASSOCIATION 



ANNUAL MEETING 



The annual meeting of the Michigan Forestry 

 Association held at Battle Creek Nov. 10 and 11, 

 was the most successful in point of attendance 

 and interest manifested in the history of the or- 

 ganization. Excellent papers were presented on 

 all phases of the forestry question. Naturally 

 the greatest interest centered in the question of 

 the protection of forests from fires. There is no 

 question that the damage done by the forest fires 

 in Michigan this fall is very heavy, much heavier 

 than was at first estimated. Game and Fire 

 Warden Pierce came in for some severe criti- 

 cisms. Mr. Pierce defended his department vig- 

 orously. He told of the action he had taken, 

 and made some excellent suggestions. He said 

 that some one should be appointed in each county 

 who would be responsible to the state authorities, 

 either to his department or some other depart- 

 ment, and that the cost of preventing and fighting 

 fires should be apportioned some on the state, 

 but the greater part on either the county or 

 town, the latter preferably, for the purpose of 

 arousing the interest of the taxpayers and 

 awakening them to the proper sense of their 

 duties. Mr. Pierce's secretary, Paul H. King, 

 and Deputies Chas. H. Chapman, of Sault Ste. 

 Marie; Wm. Harrington, Marquette; A. Be- 

 Dell, Menominee, and Geo. A. Smith, Traverse 

 City, were also at the meetings to give an out 

 line of their methods of coping with the forest 

 fires, and incidentally to defend their action. 



An excellent board of directors and list o: 

 officers were chosen to direct the affairs of the 

 association for the ensuing year. The officers 

 are: President, John H. Bissell, Detroit; Vice- 

 President, Morrice Quinn, Saginaw ; Treasurer 

 William B. Mershon, Saginaw, W. S. ; Secre 

 tary, Henry G. Stevens, Detroit. Directors 

 Henry N. Loud, Au Sable; E. C. Nichols, Bat 

 tie Creek ; R. Hanson, Grayling ; Geo. N 

 Brady, Detroit; T. B. Wyman, Munising; Sam 

 uel M. Lemon, Grand Rapids. 



The association was the guest of the Industrie 

 Association of Battle Creek, which provided ex 

 cellent entertainment for the delegates. Secre 

 tary J. I. Gibson worked unremittingly and ther 

 wasn't a hitch in his arrangements. Among th 

 speakers were Chas. W. Garfield, Chas. B. Blair 

 and W. C. Winchester, Grand Rapids; Prof 

 Filibert Roth, Ann Arbor; J. J. Hubbell, Man 

 istee; A. C. Shaw, United States Forest Ser 



THE RESOLUTIONS. 



Following are the resolutions adopted: 



The Michigan Forestry Association views with 

 erious regret and alarm the following existing 

 onditions: 



1. The terrible destruction of forest and other 

 roperty, and still more the shocking loss of life 



n our state, due to forest fires, which it is the 

 ielief of this association, could and should have 

 een prevented. 



2. The continued ruthless destruction or de- 



astation of thousands of acres of forest without 



jlan or regulation to modify it or improve the 



methods with a view to the continuance of the 



orest and the future supply of timber. 



3. Thousands of acres of beautiful and much- 

 needed wood-lots are being cleared away all 



hrough the farm sections of the state, not because 

 f the necessity for more plow land, but because 

 f unrestricted greed and ignorance, and because 

 )f the utter indifference to the real well-being of 

 he farm itself, the vicinity and the state. 



4. There is a continued disregard for the use- 

 ess destruction of shade trees and shrubbery 

 .long our highways, and gross indifference and 



andalism about most of our towns. 



ciation resolves and recommends as follows : 



1. The state should adopt and inaugurate an 

 effective system for the protection of all rural 

 and forest property. 



2. The uncontrolled fires on all unoccupied 

 lands should be treated as public enemy, and it 

 should be made the duty of authorities to prevent 

 and combat these fires. 



3. In the establishment of such a system of 

 protection the owner of the land, the town and 

 county and the local people should largely be 

 depended upon, they should be given sufficient 

 authority and it should be made their duty under 

 proper penalty to enforce the laws of the state. 



4. The state should actively and effectively 

 patrol its own lands, and not allow them to be- 

 come the starting point and the spreading areas 

 for forest fires to the detriment of the districts 

 in which they are located. 



5. The laws concerning the setting of fires and 

 the behavior of people on unoccupied lands 

 should be strengthened, and the promiscuous 

 camping, gunning, trapping and other occupations 

 by any and everybody on the lands of others 

 should be forbidden or regulated. 



6. The prosecution of persons wilfully setting 

 fire should be made obligatory on the local offi- 

 cials, and this prosecution should be facilitated 

 by law sufficiently to make the existing restrictive 

 laws serve the purpose for which they were en- 

 acted. 



5. Rural property, whether field or forest, is j 

 still largely treated as commons, and the farmer 

 and land owner is annoyed and injured, and his 



>roperty in dry seasons placed in serious jeopardy 

 >y unrestricted trespass in hunting and other 

 : orms of trespass made possible by existing laws. 



6. The importation of timber continues to in- 

 crease, and with this a truly serious burden to our 

 )eople, and a menace to our welfare. 



7. Millions of acres of land, in fact, all of the 

 north half of our state, continues to remain as 

 unsettled, unused, cut and burned-over land, in- 



olving annual loss of millions of dollars to our 

 people. 



8. Large areas of this unused and unprotected 

 waste lands revert to the state, but the state 

 policy' with regard to these lands continues to be 

 one of forcing them on the market at any price, 

 and at a sacrifice of millions of dollars, as has 

 been established beyond doubt by the commission 

 of inquiry. 



9. There is a change in the climate of this 

 state, a general drying up of the land, and ir- 

 regularity in our seasons, all of which is affecting 

 our agriculture and general welfare to an alarm- 

 ing degree. 



10. The flow of our streams, one of the great 

 sources of wealth, is becoming more irregular 

 every year, and erosion is permanently injuring 

 large areas of our best farm lands. 



11. The state, as a commonwealth, continues to 

 trtAit these matters with indifference, and in the 

 utter lack of protection afforded, especially rural 

 and forest properties, it neglects the fundamental 

 function of government to the injury, not only of 

 the present generation, but still more the greater 

 Michigan to come. 



12. While forestry should be taken up actively 

 by the state, it is clear, even now, that private 

 effort must reinforce that of the state to bring 

 about satisfactory forest conditions in time to 

 avert a general calamity, and this association, 

 therefore, views with serious concern the fact that 

 the present laws, notably that of taxation, act as 

 obstacles, especially to reforestation to our 

 burned-over lands, and also act as stimulus to the 

 hasty cutting and removal of our existing forests, 

 instead of encouraging the holding of forests and 

 the restocking of our waste land. 



For these reasons the Michigan Forestry Asso- 



7. A part of the taxes gathered from all un- 

 occupied lands should go to the state to be placed 

 into a special fund, to be used in the protection 

 of forests and wild lands. 



8. That the tax laws of the state be modified 

 in so far as a maximum be placed on the amount 

 which can be charged to anv rural property. 



9. That forest planting be encouraged by suit- 

 able exemption from taxation. 



10. That the present land policy of the state 

 be radically changed ; that it be the policy of the 

 state rather to acquire, than dispose, of the 

 poorer lands, and that tax lands, as far as prac- 

 ticable, be used for the growing of forests. 



11. In the sale of state lands, a minimum price 

 of five dollars per acre for the land alone, should 

 be charged, and no lands should be sold "cat in 

 the poke" fashion, as has been the custom in the 

 past. 



12. The work of the forest commission should 

 be extended, and this commission should be given 

 authority to employ a state forester, whose duty 

 should involve the care of state forests and the 

 advice and aid to private owners of forests. 



13. The educational work in forestry should be 

 encouraged and extended in every possible way. 



The association appreciates the interest ex- 

 hibited by the Industrial Association of Battle 

 Creek, in arranging so completely for this suc- 

 cessful and inspiring convention, and our thanks 

 are heartily extended for their active and helpful 

 co-operation in our work, and especially to Secre- 

 tary Gibson, whose constant service has added to 

 the comfort of every attendant upon the meeting. 



We desire also to extend our gratitude for the 

 gracious spirit of Dr. Kellogg, of the Sanitarium, 

 in giving our membership the opportunity to dis- 

 ,-nss the subjects near their hearts over a delight- 

 ful banquet given by the Sanitarium Company. 



We also di-sire to express our appreciation of 

 the cordial spirit of the local Nature Club, under 

 the able direction of Dr. Barnes, and the local 

 Women's Clubs, whose untiring efforts have been 

 our inspiration. 



We would not forget, in this connection, the 

 ihounhtfulness exhibited in the appropriate 

 decoration of the hall of meeting, and in the 



