FORESTRY COMMISSIONER. 45 



up in diameter at breast height, and of these 70 per cent are 

 included in the 5 and 6 inch classes. 2 per cent is white pine, 

 3.6 per cent red pine, 69.7 per cent jack pine, 14.3 per cent spruce, 

 1.6 per cent balsam fir, and 8.8 per cent tamarack. The mer- 

 chantable timber, elsewhere mentioned, was not computed from 

 data on these sample acres as the distribution of the larger trees 

 is not sufficiently uniform to secure accuracy in that way, but 

 was obtained from actual count of the trees and classification into 

 diameter sizes and logs per tree. The computation of volume 

 was then made by the assistance of volume tables prepared from 

 actual measurements of trees. 



From the smaller material on these sample acres we may 

 safely foretell a probable crop of white and red pine in 80 years 

 of 600,000 feet. This shows the need for replanting the forest 

 with pine each acre should carry a stock of 18,000 feet in 100 

 years, and under careful supervision 40,000 feet might be possi- 

 ble. On lands adjoining the Reserve sample tracts were meas- 

 ured out and the stand of pine computed and found to run from 

 35,000 to 52,000 feet per acre, with from 140 to 175 trees and an 

 age of 200 years. 



There may be cut now from the 35-year old jack pine 3,500 

 cords of firewood, and in 25 years the 10-year old jack pine should 

 cut 9,000 cords of firewood, if left to grow. Jack pine cordwood 

 is selling in Ely at $3.50 a cord. There is considerable small 

 birch on the Reserve, but no estimate has been made as to the 

 quantity. This may be cut with the jack pine cordwood and 

 marketed at $5.00 a cord. 



FIRES. 



It is no doubt directly due to forest fires that the Burntside 

 lands do not now bear a good stand of merchantable pine. The 

 present growth of jack pine, shows, in different parts, stands of 

 even aged trees, and it is generally recognized that these uniform 

 stands of young trees come in after fires. As further evidence 

 of the destruction by fire we find the ground under these young 

 jack pines covered with charred trunks and stumps of large tim- 

 ber. In section 9-63-14 about 70 acres were burned over two 

 years ago, and the new growth has not made much start. In 

 sections 31 and 32-64-13 fire ran over about 350 acres last spring, 

 burning everything clean. From this last fire brands were blown 



