MICHIGAN ROADS AND FORESTS 



Federal Reforestation in 



Michigan Has Begun 



IMPROVING WAYNE COUNTY ROADS. 



The Michigan and Marquette national for- 



Iccated in this state, have been placed 



under administration, and actual work toward 



the improvement and better utilization of these 



areas tor forest purposes has been begun. 



The two new national forests will be admin- 



(1 from Au Sable. They have been placed 



,-r the charge of S. N. Higgins, who has 



had many years of experience in forest work 



and lumbering in northern Michigan. Provi- 



sion has been made for the employment of a 



Mil'ticient force of forest guards to protect 



the>e areas adequately during the dangerous. 



tin- season, and funds have been made avail- 



for the beginning of planting and im- 



pr.. \ement work immediately on a small scale. 



The Michigan national forest covers 132,770 

 acres on Au Sable river in Oscoda, losco, Al- 

 cona and Ogemaw counties. This is an area 

 of sand jack pine and scrub oak lands which 

 have been repeatedly burned. With the excep- 

 tion of a few scattered clumps of Norway pine 

 and small patches of spruce and tamarack 

 swamp, it contains no timber of commercial 

 value. 



The Marquette national forest, including 

 some 30,603 acres, is in the northern peninsula 

 near Sault Ste. Marie, in Chippewa county. It 

 I'nntains mainly sandy pine lands which were 

 .nally well forested with white and Nor- 

 way pine but have been cut clean and in most 

 instances severely burned. These old pineries 

 are not now producing any forest growth ex- 

 cept in scattered patches where jack pine is 

 replacing the original timber. 



While these two small national forests are at 

 present practically valueless from the lumber- 

 men's standpoint, they lie in the very center of 

 the original pine belt of northern Michigan, 

 including soils which are very largely unfit for 

 agriculture, but most of which are naturally 

 ited to the production of the white and 

 N'nrwny pine timber which once made this reg- 

 ion the greatest lumber producing district in 

 the United States. There is little question but 

 that under protection and careful management 

 much of these areas can be again restored to 

 pine forest and this will be the object of the 

 il government in their administration. 



The chief and most necessary work for the 

 forest officers charged with the administration 

 t these lands will be that of fire protection, 

 both by patrol during dry periods and by the 

 construction of fire breaks through clearing 

 narrow strips around the areas, the protection 

 of which is most urgent. 



The second and equally important task is the 



ailual reforestation of the portions of these 

 two forests which are capable of producing a 

 valuable growth of timber. This work will 

 serve as an object lesson for what can be done 

 with at least a part of the large areas of burnt 

 land in the lake states. White and Nor- 

 way pine, natives of this region, will be used 

 : chiefly, and experimental tests on a small scale 

 will be made of other species. As soon as 

 practicable, the lands embraced within the for- 

 ests' boundaries will be carefully examined and 

 classified in reference to their suitability for 

 I forest planting, the areas best adapted to suc- 

 cessful forestation will be selected and plans 

 . made for collecting seed and beginning plant- 

 ing operations. It is probable that a forest 

 nursery will be started on at least a small 

 I scale next spring and the work of- planting 

 1 pushed as rapidly as the available funds of the 

 tnrest service permit 



The acreage of these national forests does 

 ] not affect in any way the patented lands or 

 unperfected claims which may be included 

 within the forest boundaries. The status of all 

 such lands remains unchanged, the only juris- 

 diction' exercised by the forest service being lo 

 Ireport from time to time, as requested by the 

 department of the interior, upon the unperfect- 

 claims to determine the compliance of the 

 ib.imants wiih the federal land laws under 

 which such claims were initiated. 



Concrete Road on Woodward Avenue. 



KALAMAZOO COMMISSION GETTING 

 READY. 



The Board of County Road Commissioners 

 of Kalamazoo county is in the market for ma- 

 chinery. One of the plans of the commission 

 is for a series of gravel trains to be pulled by 

 traction engines. There should be two to a 

 camp, so that while one is being hauled to the 

 roadway another can be loaded. Some of the 

 roads will be built by contract. If the chain 

 gang is organized it will be employed in the 

 winter in opening gravel pits, crushing stone 

 and clearing out roadways. 



Chairman Bryant says that about twenty 

 miles of the survey for thirty-two miles of 

 roads to be built next year have been com- 

 pleted by William Strong, and the profiles 

 have been sent to the state highway depart- 

 ment for approval. 



100 MILES OF NEW ROADS. 



"It is a question whether roads of limestone 

 are stable enough to warrant building them," 

 said State Highway Commissioner Ely in 

 speaking of the matter of road building in 

 Michigan. "I begin to think that unless 'hard 

 heads' can be secured, the gravel road is the 

 best, and that ultimately we shall have to en- 

 deavor to bring down the trap rock from the 

 upper peninsula for road building. You know 

 this road construction is somewhat experimen- 

 tal yet, and I do not think the limestone rock 

 roads are standing the wear the way they 

 should. We could use the convicts at Mar- 

 quette to get the stone out if we can get it 

 transported for a reasonable price and furnish 

 it at cost. 



"Road building is growing in popularity all 

 over the state," continued Mr. Ely. "Sixty out 

 of the eighty-three counties in the state have 

 applied for state aid in building roads this sum- 

 mer, and we have accepted 100 miles of com- 

 pleted roads since July 1. There are applica- 

 tions on file for nearly 75 miles more. 



"We are making a special effort to keep in 

 touch with the people regarding the bettering 

 of the highways, and we find that more inter- 

 est is being displayed than ever before." 



He also says of the 60 counties working for 

 the state reward in the construction of roads. 

 Eignt of the number are upper peninsular 

 counties, and many of the northern counties 

 of the lower peninsula are also after the re- 

 ward. 



It is noticed that some of the southern 

 counties of the state have as yet made no such 



move, and in some counties little progress has 

 been made. 



Sixty per cent of the roads already built and 

 under construction are of stone or macadam, 

 the balance gravel. 



$10,000 FOR GOOD ROADS. 



Vienna township, Genesee county, has voted 

 to bond for $10,000 for good roads. Work on 

 the roads will start early next spring. 



- Good Road Notes. 



In furtherance of the movement a list of 

 names has been secured guaranteeing any bond 

 issue that may be made up to $12,000 for con- 

 structing a stone road from the city limits to 

 Cook's corners, where the Frankenmuth stone 

 road will be met, thus giving a continuously 

 good road, and one which the county ought 



to have. 



___ ___ i 



Deputy State Highway Commissioner Rog- 

 ers has approved the two miles of road built 

 in Munising township, Alger county, this year, 

 and the county will receive an award of $2,000. 



An encouraging sign of the times is the 

 deep interest shown by Saginaw business men 

 in the improvement of the roads leading into 

 the city of Saginaw and traversing Saginaw 

 county. The latest phase of this movement 

 is in the direction of having the Genesee ave- 

 nue plank made a stone road. There is no 

 piece of road of greater importance to the 

 farming community than this, and none which 

 is more generally traveled. It is at present 

 in deplorable condition, and the indications are 

 very favorable for having it made what it 

 ought to be, a good stone road, of which the 

 county may be proud. 



Saginaw county's road tax has been fixed at 

 $195 per $1,000 assessed valuation. 



Accompanied by County Engineer Brother- 

 ton, H. W. Reade and several other members 

 of the county road commissioners and county 

 board Deputy State Highway Commissioner 

 Rogers inspected a portion of the county and 

 township roads in Delta county. Mr. Rogers 

 announced himself as greatly pleased and 

 gratified over the splendid showing of the 

 roads. He was especially pleased with the fine 

 road in Escanaba township, which the town- 

 ship built and paid a neat compliment to those 

 who had the work in charge. 



