A NATIONAL PLAN FOR AMERICAN FORESTRY 1475 



times as many as natural stands contain at an age of 35-40 years, 

 which will permit sawtimber operation. 



LAKE STATES 



In the States of Michigan, Wisconsin, and Minnesota there are 

 more than 55 million acres of commercial forest land, but of this only 

 2,664,000 acres is occupied by old-growth saw timber. The remainder 

 is cut-over land cordwood stands, restocking and nonrestocking, and 

 farm woodlands. The present yield from this grest forest acreage is 

 very small, but has potentialities of being greatly increased. 



It appears that in this region of badly devastated and deteriorated 

 lands with fair potential productivity and with easy access to the 

 great markets of the Middle West, the expansion of intensive forestry 

 will be largely through public acquisition and management. The 

 best lands are most likely to be used for intensive forestry. For the 

 present, management of these areas will consist largely of planting 

 and of controlling fires, insects, and disease. The great areas of low- 

 grade poplar and fire cherry offer a most fruitful field for intensive 

 forestry through converting them into more valuable pine woods. 

 Where inferior oaks are keeping out better species, cultural cutting 

 is needed at intervals. On the hardwood lands with a variety of 

 species of different intrinsic value, cuttings are needed to let the 

 better species through to the canopy. On spruce lands an effort 

 to increase a market for Christmas trees would make thinnings 

 economically profitable and these would stimulate growth on the 

 remaining trees. 



As has been stated earlier, Wisconsin's Committee on Land Use 

 and Forestry has recommended a very specific policy of concentrat- 

 ing its initial forestry effort, other than widespread fire protection, 

 on the most favorably situated 2 or 3 million acres. The two other 

 States would do well to allocate a like area for intensive forestry. 

 Reforestation of the huge area of devasted forest land in this region 

 is already under way. Most areas brought into production in this way 

 will probably be given intensive treatment. Eventually it seems 

 likely that at least 1 1 and perhaps 20 million acres in this region will 

 be under intensive forestry. 



CENTRAL STATES 



In the Central States, including Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Iowa, 

 Kentucky, Tennessee, Missouri, and (in part) Arkansas, less than 

 5 percent of the present forest area is under any form of forest man- 

 agement and little of this is intensively managed. It is estimated 

 that in the next few decades some 6 to 7 million acres of the area 

 which should be acquired for public forests may be put under intensive 

 management. In addition there may be some 4 million acres of farm 

 woods that could be placed under intensive forestry, but to do this 

 would require an aggressive educational campaign. 



On the Ozark Plateau of Missouri and Arkansas are some large 

 timberland holdings a million or so acres of which may be economically 

 ready for intensive forestry under private ownership within the next 

 two decades. Fire protection is the essential first step. In Ohio, 

 Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky, and Tennessee are timberlands of coal 

 and other companies where markets are at hand and the physical 



