lower grades). Less than 5 per cent of the report- 

 ed cut was of hardwoods. 



The timbered area of Minnesota was estimated by 

 the Bureau of Corporations in 1908 at about 5,651,000 

 acres, and the stand at 23,000,000,000 board feet, 81 

 per cent of w r hich was softwoods. A recent estimate 

 by the Minnesota State forester places the softwood 

 stand at 11,450,000,000 board feet, of which 41 per 

 cent is white and Norway pine, 17.5 per cent jack 

 pine, 24 per cent spruce, balsam, and cedar, and 17.5 

 per cent tamarack. The tamarack, which has been 

 the greatest hewed-tie resource of the region, has 

 practically all been killed by the larch sawfly, and 

 must be salvaged soon if at all. 



The pine forests of Minnesota have been thoroughly 

 culled of their best material, and production now 

 runs heavily to box lumber. 



The number of mills operating in this region is 

 being reduced rapidly. Within the last three or four 

 years at least four of the large mills have burned, 

 and these will probably not be replaced. Five have 

 recently cut out, and two have only a year's supply. 

 This means a decrease of 30 per cent in the total cut 

 of the State and of 33 per cent in the cut of the big 

 pine mills. The annual cut of the remaining mills 

 will aggregate at least 600,000,000 feet. These mills 

 depend for the great bulk of their cut upon white 

 and Norway pine, the remaining supplies of which 

 are estimated by the Minnesota State forester at 4,- 

 700,000,000 board feet. This will not last much more 

 than seven years at the present rate of cutting. If 

 the estimate of supply is increased by one-third, the 



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